


Hot Property

by Rawks



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, And lots of plot, Barebacking, Bondage, Bottom Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Bottom Gwaine, Bottom Merlin, Bucket List, Butt Plugs, Butt Slapping, Casual Sex, Cufflinks, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Double Penetration, Drama & Romance, Emotional Constipation, Firefighters, Fluff and Humor, From bottom to top and from top to bottom, Gratuitous Smut, Happy Ending, Innuendo, Intellectual Property, Kinky, Legal Drama, M/M, Office Blow Jobs, Office Sex, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Porn With Plot, Possessive Arthur, Power Play, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexting, Shower Sex, Smut, Sorry Not Sorry, Texting, Theft, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M, Topping Arthur, Topping Merlin, Voyeurism, Wall Sex, fleshlight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:59:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 54,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9790925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawks/pseuds/Rawks
Summary: Gwaine and Merlin go way back, in a very frivolous sense. When Arthur’s pickups fail, they cheer him up by joking about an item on Merlin’s bucket list: a hot threesome. And Merlin gets to strike it off his list.





	1. Vanilla

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tari_Sue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tari_Sue/gifts), [eilonwy77](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilonwy77/gifts).



> This is a story about— who am I kidding, it’s porn. Lots of porn. With some plot woven into it, I don’t even know why. What you are about to read is a series of experimentations as Merlin, Gwaine, and Arthur dive into the sweet, clunky bliss of casual threesome sexcapades. A bunch of horny guys following their dicks. Only one of them sucks at keeping it casual: you can take a guess who.
> 
> With many thanks to Tari_Sue and Eilonwy77 for beta reading!!

“Merlin!” Gwen said. It took her three attempts before she caught his attention. She told him as such once Merlin had yanked his headphones off his head and stared, uncomprehending when she launched into a missive of apologies. 

Merlin waved his hands. “Wait. Stop—Gwen!”

Gwen paused.

Merlin smiled. “You’re going to have to start from the beginning.” He indicated to his headphones. “I missed it all.”

“I’m not going to even contemplate the amount of times you’ve missed someone telling you something because you’ve always got music in your ears,” she said, eyeing them. “But what I was _saying_ , was that I can’t make it tonight. My father’s in hospital again and…” she trailed off.

“Oh, God,” Merlin said, “you don’t need to apologise for that.” He swivelled his chair around so that he faced her properly, turning away from the white glare of his monitor, the screen lined with code.

“Is he okay?” Merlin asked.

Gwen shook her head. “He’s okay. They need to run some tests again.” Merlin stood and drew her into a hug. She hugged him back, her arms winding around his waist to squeeze before she disentangled herself with a self-conscious laugh. “I’ll come next time,” she promised. “Did you want me to tell Arthur?”

“I’m on my way up for another meeting,” Merlin said. “Third one today.” He rolled his eyes. Uther was notoriously fond of meetings. “Hold on, let me finish this and I’ll join up.” He planted a knee on his seat and leaned forward to type in another string, saved his work and grabbed his gear. 

“It’s been ages since we went out for drinks with the old team,” Gwen said as they walked through the basement level, avoiding stacks of knee-high computer parts and arcane piles of technology.

Merlin had found a case of floppy discs when he’d first secured the office. He had been excited about the potential treasure trove before realising that none of his work stations supported 3.5’s. 

“Team drinks implies it was the team. It was the five of us,” Merlin pointed out. “Then Leon went on vacation, Lance is staying sober, and now your father… We’re down to two now.” He feigned a shudder. “Want me to come and visit your old man? He could do with a few more visitors, yeah?”

“He could,” Gwen began, “but I don’t think the nurses would appreciate it. Gets too excited they think.” She nudged him with an elbow. “Because you keep sneaking him sweets.”

Merlin grinned and stepped into the elevator. The doors closed and they stared at their distorted reflection, intercepted at the centre by the Pendragon company logo, a circle with a dragon silhouette nested in the middle, and the motto, _VISION FOR THE WORLD_ , stamped beneath. 

Merlin remembered the first time he’d noticed it and had about bit through his lip to keep from laughing. The person in the lift with him at the time had noticed, though, and tilted his head toward him. Merlin had pointed and said something along the lines of, “Well, it’s a bit cocky, don’t you think? I mean, it’s not like it’s NASA.”

The guy had given him a look, and Merlin had ended up following him to the room reception had informed him that the interview was taking place in; and then the guy had turned, held out a hand, and said, “Arthur Pendragon,” and Merlin had promptly shit a brick.

Still. Though. Auspicious beginnings and all that; Merlin had scored the job anyway.

Gwen and Merlin parted ways at level two. Gwen went back to her division while Merlin peeled off in the direction of Arthur’s office. The closer he got, the more he could hear his voice—raised and exasperated, and Merlin slowed his pace, detoured for the kitchenette which was tucked into the corner next to the industrial photocopier machine, and grabbed a handful of packaged cookies. 

Morgana left Arthur’s office, dressed in a sharp pin-stripe suit. She strode towards him on her high heels and gave him a tight smile. “Talk some sense into him,” she said and continued towards her office at the end of the hall, leaving him in the wake of her perfume. 

“Okay?” Merlin said. He shook his head in an effort to clear it and moved to enter Arthur’s office, shutting the door after him with a muted click. 

Arthur’s office was the exact opposite of Merlin’s den, as Arthur called it; and Merlin remembered the exact pinch of Arthur’s mouth when he’d joined Merlin in the basement—like he wanted to point out the fact Merlin was gambling with asbestos poisoning but also didn’t want to bring a lawsuit onto his father’s company.

“I’ve checked,” Merlin had said. “There’s no asbestos.”

“Well, thank God for that,” Arthur had said, “But there’s also no sunlight, no airflow and shall we just call you Gollum because that’s all you’ll be doing down here—cooing over your code and scurrying away at the first threat of civilisation.”

“I’ll prop open a window,” Merlin said with an easy shrug. 

“Jesus Christ.”

In contrast, Arthur’s office was an open space design with a high ceiling and tall windows. A desk stood in the middle, with a central computer and a monitor set on each side. Walking in, it was always easy to miss Arthur behind his computer, and Merlin had wondered if he used it to his advantage, ducking down whenever Sophia—his PA—popped her head in with another message from so-and-so. 

“Arthur,” Merlin called out. “I bring gifts. They come in”—he checked the packets—“vanilla cream, jam, or shortbread.”

“Cut the crap, Merlin,” Arthur said, but still took a vanilla biscuit. “There’s no bribing a Pendragon.” He stuffed the biscuit into his mouth and took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, then stuffed it back into his eight-hundred dollar suit. 

“No, I…” Did people really use handkerchiefs? He put his collection of snacks on the corner of Arthur’s desk. 

“It looks like it’s going to be a late one today. Legal came by this afternoon while I was in a meeting. They left this on my desk.” Arthur handed Merlin a printed out email conversation. 

“A Cease and Desist? What the…” His eyes scanned over the paper. 

Arthur crossed his arms, which nearly ripped the seams of the sleeves and served to make him look more pompous than usual. 

Merlin felt a heat rising to his ears and threw the stack of papers back onto Arthur’s desk. “But this is _my_ code! I created the software!” 

“We called the lawyers, they are going over it now.” Arthur’s phone started ringing.

“No, I can prove it. Give me a few days to compile everyth—” 

Arthur picked up the phone call mid-conversation and when Merlin shot him a glare he turned around and continued the call, staring out of one of the tall windows overlooking London’s skyline. 

Merlin seethed and walked around Arthur’s desk to pick another cookie. Its crumbs settled down on Arthur’s desk chair as he stared at one of the pop-up chat notifications on his screen, in a window certainly not destined for work. A user called Havoc84 had sent Arthur an animated gif-file of a man soaping up his cock in the shower. Below it were the words ‘like this?’ 

He stared at it for a minute or so, entranced. It was a really good cock. Then he realized he was looking at Arthur’s screen, and at his _very_ private conversation. So, it was like that, was it? He turned around and saw that Arthur just ended his call. 

For a moment he panicked. 

“Okay, the lawyer we need is flying in this weekend and he’ll start processing it on Monday. So it looks like drinks are still on.” Arthur locked his phone and pocketed it. 

Merlin scooted away from the desk, slippery like an eel, and made for the door. “Looks like you’ve got a date already, mate.” When he turned around he saw Arthur’s face falter when he noticed the gif on his screen. Merlin resisted the urge to chuckle, but a small snort escaped him. 

"That's not," Arthur began. "I wasn't expecting—" He sighed, closed the screen, straightened, and said with an even voice, "You won't mention this to anyone."

“Why should I care?” He didn’t really. Arthur might look great in his designer suits and even better when he dressed casually when they went out for team drinks, but he was a royal twat and that put him straight into the lead category of ‘certainly not Merlin’s type’. “Oh, Gwen’s not joining us, by the way. They’re running tests on her father’s condition again and she’s keeping him company.” 

For a moment longer Arthur stared at him, assessing the situation. Then he shrugged and locked his computer for the night. “I thought they discharged him already.” 

“Seems not.” If he wasn’t mistaken, Merlin thought he saw Arthur’s cheeks were coloured. Perhaps he was making a bigger deal out of this than Merlin was. “I’m going to grab my things. Meet you out front?” 

“Sure.” Arthur picked up his smartphone again and started furiously typing a lengthy email. 

“Oh, and… for _that_ ,” Merlin pointed vaguely in the direction of his monitor—he wasn’t going to let him off too easily—“the first two rounds are on you!” 

“Fuck you, Merlin.”

“You wish!” He shouted and slipped out of the room, back down to his cosy basement to grab his jacket and his bag. 

As he said goodbye to the CTO, Gaius, and to Gilli, the junior back-end developer, he couldn’t get the moving images of the gif out of his head. 

He put on his jacket, pulled the cap of his hoodie over his head and clocked out, all the while trying to put the uneasy heat in his abdomen to rest. A couple of pints would solve that beautifully.

  
  


* 

So, it turned out that a couple of pints, paid for by Arthur of course, did not solve it beautifully at all. They sat together and joked about the office and about colleagues. The topic quickly turned, as it often did, to Virtual Reality porn and this time, Merlin noticed, Arthur had a different approach. 

When Gwen had joined their banter about it previously, Arthur was all big talk about the realism of women’s bodies and the bounce of their breasts. Gwen, in her capacity as lead designer, was an advocate of true realism, if anything, and she had even spoken at several conferences about it. There was none of that to be had today. And so Arthur gave the bouncing breasts a miss as well. 

“Do you know how many people would stay home if we really made that product?” Arthur looked around at the rest of the people at the bar. “Most of these guys would be at home right now.” 

“I doubt it, mate.” Merlin shook his head. “It will never be real enough. I might add it to my bucket list though. Besides, different people like different things.” Merlin regarded Arthur, who had changed into a dark red shirt that had no right to fit that well across his chest.

“So what, you just adjust the parameters a little, and…” Arthur made a gesture with his hands, pulling them further apart. 

“Oh God, Arthur, I didn’t realise you were a size queen.” 

Arthur choked on his pint and sputtered, “That’s not what I meant. What the hell?” 

“No need to make such a _big_ deal out of it, mate.” 

“Shut up, Merlin.” 

“Fine, fine. I’m going to take a leak.” 

  
  


* 

Arthur watched him leave through the thick crowds and resisted the urge to pick up his phone where Havoc84 might be sending more stuff, whoever it was anyway. Right now he wasn’t in the mood for that at all. Merlin’s discovery had soured that fantasy, and now he was suffering endless teases during what should have been a smooth dive into the weekend, slicked up with liquor and gently easing him into a groggy Saturday. 

The evening seemed to be destined for jabs at his expense, instead of the other way round. The worst part was that he’d started to fancy him. It hadn’t started all the way back when he’d brought Merlin on board, which he’d questioned himself over. But he’d had to acknowledge over time that Merlin had proved himself somewhat of a genius when it came to software development. 

The realisation had snuck up on him that while everyone expected a perfect attitude from him without ever really getting to know him, Merlin had treated him the opposite; Merlin didn’t care particularly what Arthur did, but called him out if he was being an arse about it. And he rather enjoyed his company for it. Today was different, and Merlin was somehow poking his nose into his private affairs and making crappy jokes about who and what he fancied. 

As Merlin returned, Arthur saw that he was suddenly distracted by a bloke at the bar who launched himself at him and enveloped him into a huge hug. Merlin hugged him back. Arthur narrowed his eyes. 

He looked at the bloke, whose face was hidden by his half long hair. He was wearing dark snug jeans and a light grey T-shirt which exposed his arms. Quite nice arms, Arthur thought to himself. Merlin seemed to be delighted to see him, judging by how he kept his hand on the other’s shoulder longer than necessary. 

They spoke for a few moments and Merlin pointed at Arthur, pushing at the guy’s shoulder to guide him along. Arthur pretended to be busy on his phone, unlocked the screen and promptly stared at an unread message notification from Havoc84. He decided not to open it. 

“Hey, Arthur,” Merlin called out. 

He put his phone away. 

“This is my friend from university. We shared a dorm.” 

Arthur looked up and froze. 

“Ah, yeah. I think we’ve met,” the bloke said. 

Despite his longer hair and scruffier cheeks, Arthur recognised Gwaine as a one-night-stand from a few years ago, picked up on the other side of town and good for a few tumbles over the span of a weekend. He didn’t extend a hand, just nodded. 

“Yeah, well,” Gwaine said as the awkwardness increased. He grinned and shrugged. 

“Come on Arthur, don’t be such an… oh.” Merlin’s eyes went round as saucers, “ _OH!_ ” 

“Aw, Merlin,” Gwaine said with a tease in his voice, putting a casual arm around Merlin’s shoulder. “You can’t expect me to come crawling back to you?”

For the second time that day Arthur’s face faltered. This time his eyes were round as saucers. 

Merlin lowered his head, brows knotted. 

“What is this, some sort of joke?” Arthur growled. 

Gwaine pulled his arm back and lifted his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I thought you guys were out on a date.” 

They both yelled “No!” at the same time. 

Gwaine burst out laughing. “Did I just out you? Sorry, man.” He patted Merlin on the back. “Come on mate, better out than in. Besides, he can handle it.” He pointed vaguely in Arthur’s direction and smirked. “He can take more than he lets on.” 

“Jesus Christ, Gwaine,” Arthur swore.

“Yeah well, cat’s out of the bag.” Merlin sat down again and downed the rest of his half-dead pint. 

Gwaine turned a chair around and straddled it, folding his arms over the back rest. “Just so you know, it was all purely casual with Merlin.” 

Merlin sunk his head into his hands and groaned. “Shut up, Gwaine.” 

This time Arthur laughed somewhat hysterically at Merlin, “You’ve been giving me shite all evening, and all the while, you…” 

“Oh, sorry,” Gwaine said, picking up Arthur’s pint and taking a sip. “I wasn’t interrupting something here, was I?” 

“Merlin here was just telling me about putting VR porn on his bucket list,” Arthur offered, hoping to unnerve Merlin just a bit more in payback. 

“Oh yes, your famous bucket list, how’s that coming along?” 

_Famous?_ Arthur thought. These guys went way back, it seemed. 

“Dismal, really,” Merlin shook his head and played with one of the coasters. 

“Well, I know what’s on my list. I’m heading over to The Rising Sun, and you two are coming with me.” 

“Not that place,” Arthur sighed. He’d attempted to keep his personal feelings out of his tone and kept his face impassive when Merlin shot him a smirk. 

“Oh, come on,” Gwaine was saying, oblivious. He reached out and pinched the sleeve of Merlin’s jacket, which did nothing for his argument but ground Arthur further into the ‘no thanks’ column. “It’ll be fun.”

Arthur doubted. He prefered his liaisons a little more discreet and with a lot less bass. Arthur hadn’t even been to The Rising Sun since his first year of university, but he could remember the sticky floors, and the sour-sweet tang of alcohol, and the way the music thrummed through his body, threatening to shake him out of it. He even remembered his first pull there, some bloke who’d lasted two seconds in bed and passed out without returning the favour. 

“How about the Vic?” Arthur said to immediate complaint.

“Mate, I’m not even dressed for that,” Gwaine said while Merlin argued, “We just _left_ work, Arthur. I refuse to return to a business-like environment until Monday.”

Arthur threw up his hands and went, “All right! Fine!”


	2. Danger Danger

That was how they ended up at The Rising Sun, the floors as sticky, the smell as sour, and the music as loud as Arthur recalled. He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and ordered a vodka sunrise. 

“Cheer up, buttercup,” Merlin said, nudging him. 

Arthur gave him a look, ignoring the way the eclectic lighting cutting through the dance floor and bar did all sorts of interesting things to the architecture of Merlin’s face: sharpening and highlighting, picking out the parts that Arthur wanted to touch before burying them in darkness. 

Gwaine slung himself beside Merlin, curling an arm over his shoulders as he gestured for a bartender. Merlin tilted into the hold, leaned over the counter to tack an order onto Gwaine’s and looked smug when Gwaine protested. The bartender laughed at them both, teeth flashing white in the semi-dark of the club.

Arthur cut his attention to the dance floor and took a mouthful of vodka, cheap and watery on his tongue, more ice cubes and orange juice than anything worth paying for. 

The music vibrated through the floors and into Arthur’s bones. He tossed the rest of the sunrise back, smothered a cough at the burn and turned to the bar to order another. The bartender was the same one who’d served Gwaine; a foot taller than Arthur, built like a tree and with arms the size of branches. He had thick brown hair and kind eyes. He winked and grinned, the gesture jumpstarting something in Arthur’s brain, making him think of the unopened message from Havoc84 on his phone and the set of gifs he’d sent him earlier. And further: Gwaine outing Merlin; Merlin being aware of his own preferences.

“Fancy that, do you?” Gwaine said.

Arthur looked at the glass in his hand and then to Gwaine. “The drink? Because I could be drinking something better than—” he lifted the glass.

“I can take it off your hands if it’s too lowbrow for your taste,” Gwaine said. “And no,” he added, nodding to the bartender who had turned to serve someone else.

There was a pause as they watched the way he stretched out over the bar. The sleeveless white button-up vest and black bowtie that constituted his work uniform left little to the imagination. A sheen of sweat perfectly highlighted the definition of thick, corded muscles. The valleys and rises of the bartender’s forearms and biceps smoothly transgressed to his broad shoulders…

Arthur swallowed, mouth dry. His smartphone was a heavy weight in his pocket, a reminder to what he’d been so close to organising.

“Hey!” Merlin said. 

Arthur took a sip of his drink. “Already got your eye on someone, Gwaine?”

“Nah, nah,” he said, then he eyed them both up and down. Arthur straightened under the scrutiny, jutting his chin in a silent challenge. 

Gwaine grinned. “So,” he said, pointing a finger between Merlin and himself, “you know how we met, and Merlin knows how you and I met. But what about you two? What saucy story do we have here?”

“We work together,” Merlin said at the same time as Arthur said, “I’m his boss.”

A pause. 

“I see,” Gwaine said. “Hey, Arthur, remember when we met?”

“Yes,” Arthur said, the word tight.

“He told me he’d just started this job,” Gwaine explained to Merlin, “all dressed to the nine in some fancy night club on the other side of town. Nothing like—” Gwaine waved a hand. 

“Gwaine,” Arthur said, making attempt to stop him right there.

Gwaine ignored him, still fixed on Merlin who looked back with wide eyes. “And he’s completely out of place and I ask him what he’s doing there and he just tells me that he doesn’t mix business and pleasure.”

Merlin visibly stiffened, shoulders drawing up a half inch before dropping. His lips were parted in confusion. 

“Which is a shame if you ask me.” Gwaine lifted an eyebrow when Arthur glared at him. “Oh, I’m sorry Arthur.” Gwaine slapped a hand on Arthur’s arm. “You’re one of those ‘kiss, don’t tell’ types, right?” 

“Right, and I also don’t—” 

“Mate, have you been working out?” Gwaine squeezed his bicep appreciatively. Merlin lifted his eyebrows in surprise. 

“I play football on the weekend,” Arthur said over the music. 

“Mhm.” Gwaine grinned. 

“And rugby from time to time,” he added. 

Merlin downed the rest of his drink in one go. 

“And I hit the gym on week nights.” 

“Alright, alright,” Gwaine said. His hand was still on Arthur’s bicep. “I was just going to say you’re beefy enough to toss on a barbeque.” 

Merlin groaned. “Really, Gwaine?” He eyed the position of Gwaine’s hand. 

“So, what, you decided to share some drinks and talk about bucket lists? What’s on yours, Arthur?” Gwaine pried. 

“Like hell I’m sharing that with you,” Arthur said stiffly and pulled his arm away. There was a fair bit on his list, and one of them certainly involved Merlin. Perhaps some of them did. Maybe most of them, in fact, did. 

“It’s not like that, Gwaine,” Merlin tried. “We just happened to cross that, er, topic while we talked about work. Besides, I think that everyone should try out VR porn at some point. Just to know that reality is better.” 

“You’re ruining our company name here,” Arthur said with a slight grin. 

“You’d give up all of this for a fleshlight?” Merlin snorted. “Oh damn, that needs to go on my list.” 

Arthur stared at him and tried to very decidedly not think about Merlin playing with his dick, until it was hard, lubing it up and sliding it casually down the tight entrance of a— _Damn._

“How long _is_ your list, Merlin?” Gwaine prompted. 

“Well I’m not striking these things off every week, like you are, Gwaine. I still haven’t done, erm—” Merlin looked at Arthur cautiously. 

“Well, go on then,” Arthur said, trying to sound light, but he felt like a giraffe with bronchitis trying to get the words out. He felt the warmth increase in his belly at the very thought of what would be on that list. 

“Okay, some time ago I almost got round to it but the guy was a dick—well, I called it off but I nearly got to suck him off. He had a Prince Albert. That’s still on my list.” 

“A prince-what-now?” Arthur blinked. 

“Mate, do you internet?” Gwaine grinned. “A cock-piercing.” 

Merlin was blushing all the way to his ears, Arthur noticed. Merlin took off his hoodie and folded it over the bar stool, before taking his seat again. The thought of Merlin overheating made something stir in Arthur’s gut. His whole body was alert. 

“Big fat piercing, right through the head,” Gwaine helped along. 

Arthur winced. “Ah yeah, those.” The visual representation of Gwaine’s hands showing how they were placed sufficed to quell the stirring heat within him adequately. 

“You know, for a smart guy you’re pretty naive sometimes.” Gwaine ran a hand through his hair and only because the very move looked divine, did Arthur not insult him right back. 

“Whatever, at least I can count to three.” 

Gwaine’s eyes sparkled and he turned to Merlin. “Tell me you’ve at least crossed a threesome off your list?”

“Heh, not yet.” Merlin shrugged. Arthur observed him. He was wearing a dark blue shirt that stood off against his pale skin. It had small white buttons down the front and hugged his form quite nicely. 

“Oh come _on_ , that was your gig!” Gwaine motioned theatrically.

“It’s not that easy to arrange, okay?” 

“Sure it is,” Gwaine said, and reached over to fold Merlin’s collar back properly. “I’ve done it a couple of times. It’s not difficult, you just gotta make sure you balance out your attention. Besides, it was just casual, you know?” 

Merlin grinned at him. “You are the walking definition of ‘just casual’, Gwaine.” 

“Cheers.” 

Arthur chuckled. The drink in his system was calming his nerves somewhat. He ordered a Mojito next. The barman placed three of them on the bar in front of them and before Arthur could complain, Merlin and Gwaine had taken theirs and he was left to pay the round. 

Arthur glared at the tall barman, but he found he could not frown for long at his friendly face. And when he lifted his massive arms in sweet apology, Arthur merely shook his head with a lopsided grin. 

He threw the small pink umbrella out of his green drink and took to steadily sipping the cocktail, hoping it would cool his insides somewhat. He was certain sweat stains would be starting to show on his dark red shirt. 

Merlin was eyeing him and he shifted uncomfortably on his bar stool. Gwaine was looking around the club, trying to spot something to his liking. Arthur wished he would just go away so that—no, wait, what was he thinking? If he was left alone with Merlin, hot and bothered as he was…  

“I’m going to take a look around,” he heard himself say. 

“If you don’t come back with at least three phone numbers—” Gwaine shot at him. 

Merlin grinned and played with the straw of his drink. “Perhaps it’s a good thing you can’t count higher than that, Gwaine.” 

“Yeah well, at least I have the guts to ask for something when I feel like it.” Gwaine lifted his eyebrows defiantly at Merlin, who promptly looked down. 

Arthur left quickly. He passed through mobs of dancing people. The variety was enormous. Some of the boys didn’t look old enough to even be allowed in the club, others were clad in leather and showing their bums; some were completely in drag while others were dressed in outfits that looked manly enough that you’d think twice before calling them a fag, on pain of death. 

He pushed himself past the dance floor, though the music was catchy and the beat was hitting the party nerve of his brain. He hadn’t been to one of these clubs in ages and didn’t really know where to begin. Most men here didn’t strike his fancy. 

Perhaps because his fancy had already been struck, and hard. But that was just his edgy brain trying to egg him on. It was an idiotic thought. 

The only reason it was hitting him hard was because it had become plausible when Gwaine outed Merlin to him. It seemed Merlin wasn’t too troubled about being gay, but he was being cautious about Arthur. It made sense why he had never mentioned it before. They would still have to work together. The Rising Sun would make for one hell of a 10 o’clock coffee break conversation.

He snorted and checked his phone instead of flirting. He opened Havoc84’s message and it was simply a question why he hadn’t responded yet. He tucked the phone away. 

  
  


* 

“Today??” Gwaine gasped. 

“And by accident,” Merlin added. “Like, how was I supposed to know?” 

Gwaine leaned back against the bench and spread his arms over the back rest. “You know what you should do?” 

“No, absolutely not.” Merlin shook his head. He knew Gwaine long enough to know where his brain led him. Well, anyone who knew Gwaine for more than five minutes would know. But then, Gwaine was always good at keeping things light and fun. Sharing a dorm with him had been a sexual eye-opener for Merlin like he had never known before. And he nearly failed three classes for it. 

Somehow Gwaine never respected Merlin studying, so whenever there was a party, he would drag Merlin along, or whenever he came home drunk, Merlin had been there and… It had been fun, thrilling, and always casual. 

“If you won’t, I will,” Gwaine said, waggling his eyebrows. 

“Ugh.” Merlin shoved his empty glass away from him. “Don’t even start.” The idea of Gwaine going home with Arthur bothered him more than it should. 

“Don’t worry, sweetcakes. He’s not the sort to call twice. Not for the likes of me anyway.” 

“Just put it from your mind, mate,” Merlin said and got up. “I’ll get us some more drinks.” 


	3. High Voltage

After about forty minutes, Arthur returned to Merlin and Gwaine in their booth and found them both laughing. Judging by the empty glasses on the bar beside them, they’d had quite a number of refills. 

“Oh, look who returns unsuccessful!” Gwaine made room for Arthur. “Or did you score?” 

“I got a phone number, but…” His eyes automatically sought Merlin’s, and he saw that Merlin was regarding him curiously. There was a contemplative dimple on his chin that just begged to be touched or licked.

“What about you guys, have you got the barman’s address yet?” He pointedly looked at Gwaine. 

“You know, I was considering it.” 

“You’d consider anything that _walks_.” Merlin snorted. “Gwaine was just telling me how he _considered_ one of our professors back at uni.” 

“D’you know, I never got him. But a couple of months ago, there was this bloke. He’s a teacher there now.” 

“Do they still do those awful ad-hoc room checks?” Merlin was sipping a very sweet-smelling, very poisonous looking blue drink from a small glass. It left a blue stain on his lower lip. Arthur lost his sense of reason for just a moment, listening to their stories. 

“Apparently they do.” Gwaine leaned in to Merlin, a little too close for casual. “Remember that one time when Rosenburg—” 

“Oh god, we almost got caught.” Merlin put a hand over his mouth and nose, trying to hide his grin. 

“They should announce these things!” 

“That would defeat the point, Gwaine,” Merlin groaned. He looked at Arthur then, and his eyes were cheeky. “I’m sure they were just trying to find out if we were smoking pot or something.” 

“Well, they also almost caught us in the teacher’s bathrooms,” Gwaine recalled. 

Arthur opened the top button of his shirt. “Yeah, that’s totally your style, Gwaine.” 

“Oi.” He grinned. “I appreciate the compliment but this one was Merlin’s idea.” 

Merlin pursed his lips somewhat. He was far enough along with drinks now that it didn’t bother him so much that Arthur heard about their escapades. 

To Arthur it sounded like Christmas had come early. The idea of Merlin in a tight little room, ready to get down and dirty. The idea of Gwaine naked on top of him was no punishment either. 

Merlin took another sip of his blue drink. 

“Well, since I haven’t found someone to come home with me, I think I will head out.” Arthur took his wallet out of his pocket, and got out his ticket for his jacket. 

Merlin stared at him hard. 

“What?” 

“Maybe I should come with you then,” Merlin said. Arthur pointedly ignored Gwaine’s grin. 

“What??” Arthur said again. Had he heard that right?

Merlin shifted uncomfortably, his slender arms swinging back around to put his drink away. “Well, just casual, right? Gwaine said you never even called him twice. So, I know you do that.” 

Arthur looked at Merlin with difficulty. He wasn’t supposed to mix business with pleasure. And yet, just casual was just fine. 

He hadn’t given his answer yet and Merlin bit his lip, effectively licking off the blue smear of the drink that had Arthur mesmerised. 

“You know what,” Gwaine said, throwing an arm around both of them with a grin that could charm the pants off a Queen’s Guard. “How about I join the both of you and we get to strike that threesome off your bucket list.” 

“Ugh, Gwaine,” Merlin complained. 

“I’ll call a cab,” Arthur said. He grinned at Merlin’s surprised look. “Like you said, just casual, right? Besides, I have a king-size bed.” 


	4. When We Kiss, When We Touch

Arthur unlocked the door to his penthouse. He had the entire top floor of a fancy apartment building with two lines of security at the front door and lobby. If he’d brought one bloke home there might have been questions. Since the three of them had been chatting away about movies, nobody batted an eye. 

How convenient. 

Merlin shrugged out of his hoodie and dropped his bag. “Jesus, Arthur. Why do you even have a job if you can afford this?” He was out of the hall and into the living room, staring at the view. “And why the hell don’t you have curtains?” 

“No one to look back. Besides, the glass is tinted.” 

“That’s my cue!” Gwaine announced loudly. Within seconds he was out of his T-shirt and jeans, strutting around in his pants.

“Really, Gwaine?” Arthur asked. His gaze still followed him, unable to tear itself away from a perfectly shaped arse. 

“Sweet Jesus, you have floor heating,” came the reply. 

“Don’t get any ideas,” Arthur warned. “I mean it.” 

Merlin was still looking out the windows, which spanned from the floor to the ceiling offering a full view, before turning around to look at Arthur. “With this place, it’s a wonder you go out at all.” 

“Nah, this is my VR cave, you know? Doesn’t beat meeting with people.” 

Merlin grinned. 

There was a yelp suddenly from the hallway. “Fuck, Arthur, your bathroom is bigger than my whole apartment! That’s it, I’m taking a shower.” 

“Yeah, do that, you dirty bastard!” Merlin yelled. There was that cheeky look in his eyes again, that made them scrunch up in the corners. 

Arthur shook his head and grinned. He put his keys and phone on his granite dining table, which was inlaid in stainless steel legs. The six leather chairs were parked three on each side, and looked like they hadn’t been moved in a good few years. 

It felt odd having Merlin here in his apartment. 

“Do you like the view?” 

Merlin shrugged. “It’s good.” He put his hands in his pockets. 

Arthur stared at the gesture. In the background the water started running in the bathroom. Merlin wasn’t comfortable, that was clear. Perhaps this was a bad idea? 

“I’ve got five roommates,” Merlin said to break the silence.

“Oh,” Arthur added helpfully. “Must be a pain.” 

“They’re nice, really.” Merlin sat down on Arthur’s leather couch. It creaked slightly under his weight and the sound put Arthur on edge. 

“Listen, uh, do you want something to drink?” 

Merlin shook his head. “I might have had a bit too much already.”

“Tea? Coffee?” 

“Just, um, sit down?” 

Arthur took off his watch and sat down, dropping it on the coffee table. He leaned his arms around the back of the couch. 

“You’re really bad at this, you know that?” Merlin looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. 

“What? I don’t know what you—” 

Merlin shook his head. “Just casual, remember?” 

“Yeah, I know, but—” Merlin grabbed his jaw and the words died in his throat. 

“Shut up, Arthur.” And Merlin kissed him. 

As if a floodgate opened, Arthur dived into the kiss with passion. Merlin kept his hand on his jaw, and Arthur slid an arm around him, pulling him close. Merlin’s lips felt divine, hot and wet. His tongue cheekily dipped into Arthur’s mouth and Arthur devoured him. 

“Aww, you guys?” Gwaine had returned. 

When they looked up, they saw Gwaine, naked, with only a towel around his waist and his wet hair clinging to his face. He stood with his hands on his hips. Arthur felt caught for a moment before he recollected himself that that’s what they were here for. He looked Gwaine over, admiring the layers of lean muscles over his chest and a well-defined six-pack. For all the scruff that Gwaine decided to keep on his face, it was absent everywhere else that Arthur could see. 

“I had expected at _least_ one of you to be naked by now.” 

Merlin dropped his hand to Arthur’s chest. Arthur looked at him. His cheeks were flushed and he was regarding Arthur with a small grin. 

“God, at least take his shirt off, Merlin.” 

Arthur watched as Merlin obliged, using his long slender fingers deftly to undo the buttons of his shirt, and pushed the fabric aside to reveal his chest. And Merlin was _looking_ him over in a dirty way that made Arthur’s growing erection throb with longing. 

Gwaine stepped closer and Merlin stood up from the couch, closing in on him. “Alright, Merlin?” 

“Yeah,” he replied. They leaned in for a kiss. Arthur gawked. 

“Hold on.” Gwaine pulled back and stuck his pinky finger into his ear, trying to get water out. 

“Here, let me,” Merlin said. Gwaine took his hand away and Merlin leaned in, a hand stroking his chest, and, suddenly sticking his tongue into Gwaine’s ear.

“Oi!” 

Merlin held up his hands in defence as he knew that Gwaine would try to make a grab for him, which he did, and they ended up struggling and laughing. Arthur shook his head and grinned at the spectacle. Merlin was actually giggling. Arthur noticed Gwaine was sporting a boner under his towel. Merlin saw it too and made a grab for the towel. Gwaine’s hand shot out deftly to intercept him. 

“Nu-uh. Nakedness is not evenly distributed. You’ve got to play fair.” 

Arthur got up from the couch, readjusted his cock and stalked over to them. “Right, I have to agree with that.” He was determined to be part of the fun they were having. 

When Gwaine locked eyes with him, he saw the same look as he’d seen a few years ago; determined, roguish and plain dirty. Gwaine pushed past Merlin and looked Arthur up and down, then pressed his body against his, chest to chest, slipping his arms around Arthur’s waist. Arthur held on to Gwaine’s shoulders.

“Christ, Gwaine, you could have done a better job drying yourself.” 

“That’s what you and Merlin are here for,” he said, beaming. 

Arthur jutted his jaw and looked down at Gwaine along his nose. Gwaine gave him a cocky stare back. Their standoff ended with Arthur grabbing a fist full of Gwaine’s wet hair, and Gwaine grabbing hold of Arthur’s arse as they made out. 

Merlin observed them with a blush. It took a few moments for Merlin to remember that they also had a history, albeit a short one. He leaned in and let his hands glide all over Arthur’s broad shoulders, powerful arms and down his back. The two men kissed as if they were in battle and neither of them was about to back down. 

“I remember why I went home with you. You have more than one use for your mouth,” Arthur said. 

“Fuck, Arthur,” Merlin said, “since when do you talk like that?” 

“More importantly,” Gwaine sighed, leaning an arm on Arthur’s shoulder, his chest heaving as if he’d just been running, “why are you still dressed?” 

Arthur turned to Merlin, confident in his aroused daze and reached out to undo Merlin’s top button. Merlin gasped but didn’t resist. The o-shape he made with his mouth, though, did _things_ to Arthur’s insides. 

The first button opened, no it _popped_ open. 

“Press buttons, Merlin?” Arthur snorted. 

“What? That’s perfectly normal?” 

Arthur glanced at Gwaine who shook his head in an insane grin. 

Merlin didn’t like it so much now that the two of them were conspiring against him. “There’s nothing wrong with—” 

Arthur’s hands gripped Merlin’s shirt and at once ripped open all the press buttons in a single swoop, exposing his chest at once and earning him a gasp from Merlin. 

_Yes_ , Arthur thought, this was what he’d been so eager to uncover. Merlin was lean, with a light patch of hair over his chest. His stomach was flat, with a small line of hair leading down into his jeans. The steady thrum between Arthur’s legs became a thick, pulsing throb against his trousers.

Merlin nearly melted under that gaze and shrugged his shirt off his shoulders, turning his sleeves inside out. He flailed like a drunk octopus until he realized that his shirt wrists were too tight and he couldn’t get his hands out of them. 

“Here,” Gwaine said helpfully and went to stand behind Merlin. Instead of helping at all, Gwaine started to grope all over Merlin’s chest, while his hands were uselessly bound in his shirt. 

Arthur’s head swam at the vision. He pushed forward and gave Merlin a bruising kiss, hard and needy. He pulled back, hearing Merlin sigh deeply, and took a hold of one of Merlin’s wrists. He was tempted to just leave him hanging in there, like Gwaine had. But he pushed Merlin’s shirt back up his arm and undid the button to free him. Then he moved to the other arm and attempted the same. Either the button was larger, or the hole was smaller, but it wouldn’t budge. 

Meanwhile, Gwaine was kissing Merlin’s neck, groping his chest with one hand and grabbing his groin with the other. Merlin stood unsteady on his feet, staring at Arthur with half-lidded eyes. 

Instead of carefully undoing the button, Arthur lifted Merlin’s wrist, put his teeth around the button and yanked it off. Merlin stared and a grin slowly appeared on his face.  

“Better?” Arthur smiled back. 

“You be the judge of that,” came the reply. Merlin reached out a hand into Arthur’s hair, raking his fingers through it before drawing him in for another deep kiss. His other hand cupped Arthur’s groin in a hot squeeze that made him groan. He could taste the alcohol on Merlin’s breath. 

As Arthur took a step forward, he pressed fully against Merlin, who was pressed up against Gwaine in a delicious sandwich. Merlin gasped into their kiss suddenly, his blue eyes looking straight into Arthur’s. “You’re not wearing your towel anymore, are you, Gwaine?” 

Arthur huffed a breath against Merlin’s lips and claimed them again, right as Gwaine grunted, still intent on abusing Merlin’s neck with kisses and nibbles. Arthur could feel the rocking of Gwaine’s hips in the small thrusts that Merlin made against him, rubbing their groins together. 

Merlin suddenly pulled back and hissed. Arthur looked down and saw that Gwaine’s fingers were teasing one of Merlin’s nipples, rolling over it and drawing it up into a small nub.

Arthur shrugged out of his own shirt as he watched Gwaine’s hands drop to undo the top of Merlin’s button fly. Merlin’s hands reached out to grope for Arthur’s chest, greedy fingers stroking up and down his muscled abs and pecs. So, he liked that, did he?

After he quickly took off his belt, he obliged and advanced on Merlin again, grabbing hold of his chin and pushing it aside to administer kisses on the spot Gwaine had just been. His tongue lapped over the tendons in his neck, until he found one and bit down. 

“Nngh!” Merlin leaned his head further to the side, allowing him more access. 

Hands stroked over Arthur’s shoulders and he did not know whose they were. He found a piece of skin that Merlin seemed particular about and sucked on it. He was rewarded with another string of moans and the pleasurable thought that came to him that this would leave a mark on him. 

“Wait,” Merlin groaned. “Stop.” 

Arthur stepped back and so did Gwaine. Merlin stood, uneasily, with his trousers around his ankles, his cock hard in his pants and shivering from the sudden loss of body-heat from both sides. And he looked wrecked. 

Gwaine was stark naked, his cock upright and eager. Arthur noticed that Gwaine had shaved everything, unlike last time. 

“You promised”— Merlin licked his lips in the way he often did—“a king-size bed.” 


	5. King-Sized

A slow smirk spread across Arthur’s face. “Well then, take your pants off and follow me.” 

“Says the one still half dressed,” Gwaine complained, but he followed. He swore when they entered Arthur’s bedroom. “I can’t believe you came to my place last time, when you had _this_!” 

“I didn’t have this at the time,” Arthur said.

Before them stood a four-poster bed, in a modern style, that could easily accommodate five people, and if they used the rest of the space at the feet, perhaps up to twelve. It was adorned with a canopy and curtains and on the opposite wall hung a TV that was at least 80 inches. The room had blinds which were half-closed and at least gave an impression of privacy. 

Merlin followed behind Gwaine, naked as well, and curious about the room. While he took in the room, Arthur looked him over. His cock was long, longer than Arthur would have expected, and he’d trimmed everything down into a neat triangle. He held his breath for a moment, imagining Merlin preening over his privates until he felt that he looked good. A noise stirred him from his thoughts. 

“Gwaine, what the fuck?” Arthur complained as Gwaine was rummaging through his bedside cabinets. 

“What?” Gwaine shrugged. “Where do you keep your stuff?” 

“I have a sister,” Arthur explained. “She does exactly what you’re doing. Just, lie down, I’ll get it.” 

He stepped into his walk-in closet and pulled out an old hat box. It contained a top-hat and underneath it was a black packet with a zip that had everything. When he returned, he nearly dropped it on the floor. 

Gwaine lay flat on his back on the bed. He had one of his legs drawn up, foot resting on the edge of the sheets, while the other leg dangled off the edge. Merlin was sitting beside him, leaning over and sucking Gwaine’s cock. With his free hand, Merlin was stroking Gwaine’s sack, rolling its contents through his fingers. 

“Mmm, Merlin,” Gwaine sighed. “So good.” 

Arthur threw the packet on the bed and undid the button and the zip of his trousers. Merlin looked at Arthur, while continuing his pace servicing Gwaine, bobbing his head up and down. Gwaine’s eyes were closed and he was in another world. 

Arthur wanted that, badly. 

Merlin slowed down and let Gwaine’s cock fall out of his mouth. It made the latter look up, coming to terms with the world again until he saw what Arthur was doing, which was getting out of his last remaining items of clothing and tossing them aside. 

“Fuck, Arthur, I remember you having a good cock,” Gwaine said. Arthur stepped closer. 

Merlin snickered and pulled Gwaine upright. They looked at each other and somehow they must have had a mental spark or something, because the next thing Arthur knew, both of them were kneeling in front of him on the bed and sucking him off together. Their lips were soft and made his cock feel wet and wonderful. They took small breaks to kiss each other. If Arthur enjoyed blow jobs before, this was pure bliss. 

Like usual, Gwaine’s interest shifted and he left Merlin to pick up the blow job by himself. He groaned deeply each time Merlin took him in. When Merlin _looked up_ at him with those blue eyes, watery from his cock pressing against the back of his throat, Arthur nearly came undone. 

Merlin released him suddenly with a gasp, and grabbed hold of Arthur’s hips. When Arthur looked up, he saw why. Gwaine had found the lube and was working Merlin’s rear with his fingers like he was a cheap street-corner pickup. 

“Gwaine, Jesus, _fuck_ ,” Merlin swore and buried his face into Arthur’s soft sheets. 

Arthur regarded Gwaine’s handiwork with predatory eyes. He listened to Merlin’s focused moans and gasps and watched as Gwaine reached down with his slick hand to stroke Merlin’s length once, twice, three times. 

Merlin muffled more swear words into the sheets. 

“What’s that, Merlin? I can’t hear you,” Gwaine teased. 

Slowly, Merlin let go of his vice grip on Arthur’s legs and pulled himself somewhat together. He sat up slowly and Arthur looked him up and down. Something snapped. 

He pushed Merlin backwards onto the bed. “Merlin,” he groaned. He had to have him. Merlin complied and lay back, placing his head in Gwaine’s lap. He was panting with his mouth open, completely undone, Gwaine trying to push his dick back into it, and Arthur decided it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. 

He reached over to the zip bag and took out a condom. Gwaine readjusted himself to provide a better angle for Merlin to suck him, while grabbing Merlin’s arms and pulling them up over his head. 

Merlin was completely on display for Arthur. As he put the condom on, he needed to still himself for a second as his cock had other ideas, nearly making an end to the fun. He pulled Merlin’s right leg up and against his left shoulder, which lead to a startled mewl somewhere deep from Merlin’s occupied throat. He spent a few moments stroking the coarse, dark hairs on his shin, until Merlin seemed at ease. 

Gwaine watched and paused as well, pulling himself back and out of Merlin’s reach. He still held on to Merlin’s hands. Merlin leaned his head back onto the bed and gasped. 

“What’s the matter, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Gwaine cooed. 

“Yeah, but I—nNGH!” 

Arthur pushed in, gently, slowly, steadily. He paused whenever Merlin flinched under him. Then he kept pushing. He had to have this. To be inside of him. He _needed_ this. Carefully, he seated himself as far in as he thought he could go, and then pushed a tiny bit more. Merlin’s eyes were shut tight.

“Bit too much, sweetcakes?” Gwaine patted Merlin’s forehead.

Arthur leaned forward, pushing the leg on his shoulder with him, and adjusted his angle. He pulled his hips back slightly and rolled back in. It went smoother this time. He noticed the lean muscles in Merlin’s arms relaxing as well, and saw Merlin’s chest rise and fall in steady anticipation. 

Arthur reached out with his right hand and slowly stroked Merlin’s cock up and down while taking up the slowest pace that he could possibly muster with his hips. Each one of Merlin’s breaths was now a sob and Arthur thought he would go mad with pleasure if he kept that up. 

“Yeah? Something like that?” Arthur asked, his voice broken. 

Gwaine was stroking his own cock in front of Merlin’s face, ready to make his move if Merlin was relaxed enough. Arthur admired him for his self-control. He had none of that. Especially not now. 

He sped up, shifted slightly, and grunted in surprise when Merlin moaned loudly. He picked up the pace of his right hand and felt Merlin’s cock throb under his fingers. His hips slapped into Merlin’s at a steady rhythm, and it was suddenly all too much for him. Merlin threw his head back, lifted his chin and cried out, cock throbbing and spilling out of Arthur’s hand and onto the sheets. 

Two, three thrusts later Arthur grunted, his hips stuttering and he spilled over the edge, seated deeply inside Merlin. 

Below him, Merlin lay panting. His eyes were closed, his lips parted, wet, swollen, and there was a definite dark stain on the side of his neck. Everything was perfect. 

Then Gwaine, the dirty bastard, squeezed himself tightly and came all over Merlin’s face, rubbing along the length of his dick until it was all milked out. 

Merlin took it, since he was still held down from one end and thoroughly impaled on the other.

Arthur pulled out of Merlin and lowered his legs gently, giving his bum one more firm squeeze before he got up from the duvet. His heart was still pounding against his ribs from the exercise, and his cock was sensitive from all its efforts. 

He retreated into his apartment-sized bathroom, got rid of his condom, and returned with several towels. 

Gwaine was gently speaking to Merlin. “You did well,” and, “Shit, you’re a mess.” 

Arthur tossed them some towels. He felt the burn in his thighs and he could only imagine what state Merlin was in now. He was anticipating the first response and at the same time told himself that he shouldn’t care, it was just casual after all. They would return to their normal lives. He just wanted, stupidly, to stretch it out a little longer. 

“You can spend the night, if you want. Plenty of room.” _Damn it._

“Oh no, no way.” Gwaine grabbed one of the towels and slowly got up from the bed. “That’s my one rule. Thanks, though.” He slapped Arthur with the towel and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Merlin still hadn’t moved much. He made futile grabs for the towel until Arthur sat down next to him and handed it to him. 

They stared at one another for a glorious moment and Arthur felt his nerves creep back up as the silence stretched. 

“Holy fuck,” were the first words of Merlin’s mouth. 

Arthur grinned. 

“Ow,” was the second. 

“Shit, was it too much?” 

“No, cramp.” Merlin stretched his leg out and lay back down. He still hadn’t put the towel to his face. 

“Look, you can use the bathroom,” he began. 

“Yeah, I will. Just hold on a minute.” 

Arthur wasn’t certain what Merlin was on about, so he got back up. “Sure, whatever. Offer still stands,” he said and disappeared into the living room to collect the rest of his clothes. 

Gwaine was already dressed and stepping into his shoes. 

“No offense mate, but I’ve got brunch with my mum in the morning. Can’t miss it.” 

“It’s four o’clock in the morning, Gwaine.” 

“That’s no excuse for my mum, trust me. BYE MERLIN!” 

And he was gone. 

Arthur stood awkwardly, naked in his apartment and holding his clothes and his phone out in front of him. From the bathroom he heard the shower start. He walked back towards his bedroom, noticing that the shower door was wide open. Merlin hadn’t locked it. Hadn’t even closed the door. 

“Shut up,” he told his cock and put his clothes away with care and slipped on a pair of clean boxers. 

After taking some time to consider, he snuck into the bathroom after all and picked up his toothbrush. “You alright in there?” He could see the outline of Merlin’s form through the misted glass panels. His mind did the rest. 

“Fine,” came the short reply, and, “This shower is amazing.” 

He shook his head with a grin, continued to brush his teeth, and pulled out a still-wrapped guest toothbrush and left it on the sink before returning to his bed. 

It was a mess, but he didn’t feel like changing it now. He collected the lube, empty condom wrapper and whatever else lay strewn across the bed and lowered the lights. Then he got in. 

When Merlin came back into the darkened room he was still naked, drying his hair with the towel and looking uncertain. “You sure about this?” 

Arthur felt his heart skip a beat as if he just crash-landed back into reality. Was this a good idea at all? He’d have to face Merlin on Monday. He was Merlin’s boss. But none of that would erase what they’d just done. Besides, it wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Just casual.  

“Look, whatever you want. It’s fine either way. What I’m thinking, you look a bit ruined and could probably do with passing out right here.” 

He tried to play it cool and watched as Merlin sighed and nodded… 

And climbed into the bed with him. 

True to form, the bed really was king-size and it meant Merlin was lying down a good yard away from him. Still stark naked. 

“Holy fuck,” Arthur mirrored Merlin’s earlier response.

“You’re only realizing that now, mate?” Merlin said sleepily, turning his back to Arthur. 

“Shut up.” 

“Hey Arthur?” 

“What?” 

“What about that other date,” Merlin’s voice teased him. 

“Naw mate, reality is way better.” 

“Who’s ruining your company’s image now?”

“Merlin?” 

“Mm?”

“Shut up.” He turned around and went to sleep. 


	6. Awkward Monday

Merlin reached for a shirt, then faltered. It was the same shirt that he had worn on Friday, the dark blue one with the press buttons. He’d shucked out of it the second he returned home on Saturday and shoved it into the wash with the rest of his laundry, ears burning. He had hesitated before dropping it into the laundry machine though, then pressed it to his face. The smell of The Rising Sun was embedded deep into the fabric—a blend of alcohol and old sweat, but that was it.

Now the shirt hung in his wardrobe. And after a beat, Merlin shoved it aside and picked out something else. He shrugged into it, did up the buttons and left for work. 

“Morning, Merlin!” Gwen greeted once he entered the kitchenette on the ground floor. She handed him a coffee, which had steam curling from the mouth of the styrofoam cup. Merlin took a hesitant sip and winced at the burn. 

“Busy weekend?” she asked. “I mean, was it good? You look, erm, tired.” She put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. It was a gesture that, in any other circumstance, would have grounded him. It seemed so long ago to him that she cancelled on them last minute.  

“It was fine,” Merlin coughed out. He released a strangled laugh and took another sip. Arthur would have been in the office for hours by now. He was the first one in and usually the last employee out. He worked four floors above Merlin. They would see each other for work-related matters, but it could never go back to the way it was before. Realisation began to sink in. _Get yourself together, mate_ , he chided himself. 

“Are you alright?” Gwen asked. She looked concerned. 

“Um. Yes. Very,” Merlin said and felt a shiver go down his spine. “Why?”

“You’re very, er, high-strung this morning.” Her dark eyes searched for answers in his. 

They were usually completely open to each other. Merlin tried not to panic and attempted to arrange his expression to something that was more _I’m keen for Monday_ and less _I had a threesome with my boss and an ex-roommate on Friday_. He cleared his throat. “How’s your father?” 

Gwen gave him another look, brow pinched in a way that told him that he wasn’t entirely off the hook. “He’s good,” she said. “The tests came back clear. He just has to take it easy. He’s spending the week with my brother—”

“I thought he was supposed to take it easy.”

Gwen gestured, exasperated. “I _know_. But try telling him that.”

He chuckled and turned towards the hall. He skipped the elevators, instead hurrying down the staircase with his coffee in hand, and entered his department in the basement. 

Lance was already there, trying to debug a piece of code. Merlin sat down on his desk chair and let out a sigh. He tried to get settled into the new normal. The new normal where he had slept with his boss and his old dorm mate from university. _Jesus Christ_. He rubbed his face, drained the dregs of his coffee and booted up his computer. The Pendragon logo flashed across the screen and heat flooded through Merlin’s body.

The last remaining programmers bumbled into the room and fumbled for their chairs, calling out greetings to each other. Merlin envied them and their easy lives and the fact that they weren’t aware of the arrangement of muscles under Arthur’s clothes. 

“You all right there?” Lance asked.

“Oh, I’m definitely something,” Merlin muttered. Then he cleared his throat, slapped on a smile and said, “Great!”

Lance gave him a reproachful look. “If there’s a problem—”

Merlin waved his hands. “No problem! Just. Everything’s great. Peachy.”

The look Lance gave him was an echo of Gwen’s concern. “If you’re sure…”

Merlin nodded and turned back to his computer, making a show of normality. He opened his emails, checked his calendar and bit his lip when he saw a meeting scheduled in half an hour with the content lawyer. 

The situation hadn’t crossed his mind the entire weekend: the Cease and Desist email which Legal had left on Arthur’s desk on Friday. The accusation of theft. Merlin knew full well there was a log of working hours he’d dumped into writing the program. He raked a hand through his hair and scrolled the email up and down, the words _demand_ , _unlawfully,_ and _costs_ jumping out at him, making his hands sweat and hackles rise as he swung between dread and indignant anger. 

The next twenty minutes passed in fits and drags, until Merlin collected his gear and headed up to the fourth floor. He was the last one in. Merlin nodded his head and lifted his hand, apologising, and then took his usual place at Arthur’s side. Arthur sat with his chin propped on his hand, attention at a laser point to a document in his hand. Merlin licked his lips, gaze jumping from the page to Arthur’s profile. By now Arthur would have said something, snapped at him for his tardiness, but his focus didn’t shift. 

“Gentlemen,” the lawyer said.

The lawyer was built stockily, with slicked black hair and an expression that straddled the line between smug and insincere concern. Arthur had mentioned once, off-hand, that Agravaine du Bois was his uncle, but it was difficult finding a common point between the two men: Agravaine’s blunt, heavy, features contrasted against the sharp, strong angles that belonged to Arthur. Merlin dragged his attention away. 

The meeting was long and intense. The suits around the table made for a grey-scale cascade, one looking more sour than the next. Merlin was addressed only for timesheet proof of having done the work and any supplementary proof, which he had printed out. And he surprised everyone with a USB-stick that contained the changelogs of his development sprints, the testing sheets reported by the junior developers, and an array of personal tags embedded in the code, which he handed over to prove the software was his. 

The entire meeting, while an inconvenience that cast a shadow on the integrity of his work, sank him back into a reality he was familiar with. He had always had to work hard to prove himself, and he was never very good at it. What he was good at was staying hidden away, and operating from the shadows. 

During the meeting he began to realize that his code was rather valuable to the company, and the opposition, Valiant Corp, wasn’t going to be allowed to take it away from them. He felt rather light-headed when he heard the suits talk about it like that. 

It all came to a record stop when Uther stated, “If this is what they want, we’ll give it to them sideways.”

Merlin straightened, heat flooding his face. It wasn’t an exact echo, but it was similar enough to Friday night’s escapade, the head of Gwaine’s cock brushing against Merlin’s cheek while the blunt head of Arthur’s pressed into his body. The recollection hit him like a brick wall and he went breathless. 

The meeting pressed on, and Merlin had only just relaxed when Agravaine grabbed a timesheet and announced to the entire boardroom: “We’re not going to bend over to their demands.”

Beside him, Arthur stiffened, his hand lying fisted on the table. Merlin returned his attention to his notes, holding his pen tightly between his fingers, their tips blooming white. 

“The evidence is clear,” Uther was saying, “they’re fools to even think they can make a claim—”

“We’ll shove a lawsuit so fast down their throats they won’t even see it coming,” Agravaine said with animation, like this was the real reason he had become a lawyer in the first place. 

This time, Merlin lifted his head stared outright, unsure of what he had heard. 

Arthur cleared his throat, “Uther,” he said, “if you see here—” The meeting changed directions, the heat of Uther’s anger and the slightly manic glee Agravaine possessed for lawsuits tempered under Arthur’s guidance. 

Merlin sat back in his seat and released a breath once the last suit had left the room. His shirt was damp at the back and under his arms, and his pants were tight at his thighs, where the fabric bunched at the crease of his leg. He shifted again, hyper-aware of the weight of his cock against the seam of his trousers.

Arthur cleared his throat. “Interesting meeting,” he said. It was the first time he’d addressed him outside the context of work.

“I’ll say,” Merlin said. “Is your uncle always like that?”

Arthur shrugged. “I barely know him.”

“Ah.”

Silence settled, awkward and ill-fitting. Merlin worried his lower lip between his teeth, casting for something to say that would lighten the mood, or at least arrange it so it was not so strange. They had only just eased into the simple camaraderie after the disaster of their initial meeting, a kind of professional truce that was shaped by pokes and jabs, and now…

Arthur rubbed his face, pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “So,” unhelpfully, then he stopped. There was a beep. He frowned. “Merlin, is that your phone?”

“Um,” Merlin looked back to the table in the boardroom and leaned over to grab his phone from beside the projector. “Thanks.” 

Arthur waved him off and gathered his papers.

There were two messages from Gwaine. The first was a picture of Gwaine holding a take-out coffee, and another with a picture of a duck on the edge of the pond that was captioned with a note about the weather. Merlin grinned. Between graduating, moving out and finding a steady income, he’d lost contact with Gwaine and Gwaine’s particularities by extension. He sent him a message back and stood, stopping when Gwaine responded almost immediately. Merlin tapped it open and scoffed.

_u free this wkend? Up for rnd 2? Ask artie_

He sent back a line of laughing emoticons and slid away his phone. 

“You’re popular this morning,” Arthur said with his hand on the doorknob and his body turned towards Merlin like he was waiting.

Merlin hurried up. “Yeah, Gwaine’s asking about round two,” he said and immediately clapped his mouth shut. He caught Arthur’s eyes, which were very wide and very blue. “That is—” Merlin stammered. He swallowed, throat rolling. 

Arthur was the first to recover, the surprise on his face neatly folded away until all Merlin saw was the haughty indifference that defined him during Merlin’s first few weeks at Pendragon VR.

“Go back to work,” Arthur said. 

Merlin left, uncertain whether anything had changed at all. 

  
  


* 

Merlin recalled the conversation back at the pub. 

“You know he’s keen,” Gwaine had said at the bar the Friday before. He’d spoken so low that Merlin had had to tuck in close to hear. “C’mon, Emrys, show a little initiative, yeah?”

Merlin had withdrawn, confused. 

“Merlin, Merlin,” Gwaine said, pinching his drink from his lax grip, and made a face at the taste. “Still so blissfully naive.”

“Fuck off, Gwaine,” Merlin said, face hot. 

He had swung his attention to the patrons of the bar, to the crush and blend of bodies. He marvelled at the way the coloured lights caught on people’s skin, their hair, the metallic parts of their clothes. Merlin’s attention snagged on a man flooded by a blue spotlight that sharpened the angles of his face. The light flickered away.

Merlin licked his lips and turned back to the bar. His hands skittered over the tacky surface and so he clenched them together, knuckles whitening. Gwaine laughed and nudged him with an elbow. He came in close again, his cologne warm over the sour tang of alcohol. 

“You know what I think?” Gwaine murmured, his breath hot against Merlin’s ear.

Merlin shuddered at the feel of it, and at the sense memories that followed: Gwaine’s mouth plush against the hook of his jaw. Gwaine shoving him back on Merlin’s shitty dorm bed and climbing on top, his grin wild. Merlin reaching up to cup his face, laughing.

“Do I want to know what you think?” Merlin asked over the beat of the music.

A curl of Gwaine’s hair brushed against Merlin’s cheek and Merlin tilted his head to it.

“I think,” Gwaine said, “that if you asked, Arthur would let you fuck him.”

  
  


* 

Arthur opened the boardroom door, and Merlin startled.

“I didn’t know Gwaine did repeats.” Arthur shrugged. “I’ll have to think about it.” 

Merlin held the copies from the meeting out in front of him and pretended to be aloof. Inwardly he was screaming. Truthfully he’d never even wanted to get up from the bed after the threesome, as he felt he’d landed in another dimension, and it was soft and cozy and cradling his recovering body. 

Then Arthur had invited him to stay, had watched him shower, and gotten out the _bloody toothbrush_ , like what did that even mean? 

“Yeah, whatever. He just asked me to ask you,” Merlin replied and turned towards the elevator. He would have to get back to his programming sprint. It was due by the end of the week. 

Arthur turned towards his own office and paused. “We’re going out for drinks with Lance and Gwen on Friday, right?” 

Merlin tilted his head, noticing that Arthur wasn’t exactly meeting his gaze as he spoke, but rather looking down the hall at the interesting pattern of the men’s and women’s bathroom door plaques as if they held a sort of infinite truth. “Yeah, of course.” 

“I’ll let you know before then. Now get back to work. I’ll inform you when the lawyers pass on Valiant Corp’s response.” Arthur walked away seemingly without a care in the world. 

Merlin’s ears burned as he stared at his phone’s next text messages from Gwaine on his phone. 

_Stop bein a wuss, hell say yes_

And another message popped up right after that. _If its no, then us2?_

Merlin sighed. It was uni all over again and Gwaine never seemed to get his fill. It was just a lot of fun with him around and he never felt on edge. But with Arthur it was different. He had an air about him like he owned the place, whichever place he went to, and he was _still_ a royal twat. But he was also hot and blond, and had the body of a god, and try as he might, Merlin could not get those facts out of his mind. 

The elevator door dinged and he stepped in, pushing the button for the basement floor and hoping no one would see him, trying to hide a growing erection with mere print-outs. He texted Gwaine back to distract himself. 

_What happn 2 ur favorte bartender?_

Seconds later he got the reply: _No casual 4 him, 2bad_

Merlin snickered to himself and got out at the basement level, back to what they called the Dungeon or the Zoo depending on which of their colleagues called them wizards or code-monkeys. He dropped into his chair and moved his mouse so he could unlock his screen. Only, he found that he _hadn’t_ locked his screen and now there was a full HD screenshot of Borat in Mankini set as his desktop image. 

“For fuck’s sake, you guys!” 

“That’s the third time this month, Merls,” someone shouted. 

“Then maybe I’ll keep him, save you the trouble.” 

“No mate, then we’ve gotta come up with something else,” Lance snickered. 

Merlin set back to work, trying to resist a grin and he ignored his phone for the rest of the day. 

  
  


* 

By Wednesday, Arthur had convinced himself that just casual was just fine. Normality had returned and Merlin was just his employee. His emails had been more than professional in tone. He had suitably ignored what had occurred and could function normally. 

Last Friday wasn’t constantly replaying in his mind. He was not rethinking the moment Merlin kissed him on his leather couch, nor the look on his face when he ripped open his shirt. He didn’t remember how it felt to press into him, watching his sweaty body rock with each thrust. Over and over.  

By the time lunch break had arrived, Arthur couldn’t stand himself. 

He queued at the lunch line and waited with his tray. He was mentally going over figures for the next company takeover proposition that his father had tasked him with when there was a nudge in his back. He turned around impatiently to see Merlin standing behind him. The row continued with Lance, Gilly, and Gaius, and Arthur presumed they had all just come up for lunch as well. 

Merlin’s gaze caught him square in the chest, winding him, and he gripped the lunch tray to avoid making a fool of himself. 

“Well?” Merlin asked. 

Arthur drew a blank, focused only on the blue of Merlin’s eyes, which stood off against the red of the T-shirt he was wearing. _Focus, Arthur_ , he told himself. “Du Bois has sent me a first draft in legalese, my father has approved it and we’ll send it out before the end of the day.” There. He could do this, he could operate normally. 

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Right. Okay.” He shrugged and put his tray on the counter. 

Arthur, who was ahead of Merlin in the line, put his tray down as well. At that moment he heard a beep coming out of Merlin’s back pocket. His phone again. Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur meaningfully while grabbing some slices of toast and some pineapple. 

Oh. 

“He’s still texting you?” 

He saw Gwen’s curious look from over Merlin’s shoulders and knew he would have to stay very casual. He would get strapped up by his balls if anyone else in the company found out. 

“Yeah, all the time.” 

He shrugged, grabbing a large plate stacked with warm food and a bowl of rice. “Tell him not to bug you during work hours then.” 

“I did,” Merlin said. “He said he’d stop if I agree to meet him Saturday. Regardless.” 

Regardless… Regardless of what? Arthur picture Merlin meeting up with Gwaine and couldn’t imagine anything other than hot, steamy sex happening. He frowned. 

“So, have you made up your mind?” Merlin asked, the picture of casual, choosing a chocolate milk as his lunch drink. 

Arthur swallowed. He hadn’t given an answer yet. He knew it should be no. This had already gone far enough. He was working at the company where his father offered him a good position and he felt the pressure to prove himself day after day. To show that he didn’t just get the job because he was Uther’s son. Everyone knew he worked damned hard at it too. 

And yet, he hadn’t answered because he didn’t want to say no. Because the very thought was fucking hot. And he had spent every night wanking to the very thought of going again. “Like I said, I’ll let you know.” 

“Know what?” Gwen asked, sharp as always. 

Merlin barely twitched. “A friend from my university got a new game for his Xbox and invited us over.” 

“I have training on Saturday.” Arthur completed Merlin’s fabrication with some fact. He was rather curious, though, about Merlin pushing the matter. 

As he gathered his fork and knife, Merlin pushed past him and his phone beeped again. Merlin shot him a look and said, “You talk to him. Get him off my back.” 

That evening, after Arthur returned from bench pressing at the gym and had taken a long shower, he strolled through his living room and spotted a missed message on his phone. He took a look. 

_Merls gave me ur numbr_

Fuck. 

_Hello Gwaine. What are you up to?_

_Disappointing Jesus._

Arthur snorted and threw his phone aside on his couch, where it beeped again. He sat down, put his legs on the coffee table and picked up his phone. Gwaine was spamming him. 

_Cmon over Sat. Bit of fun in the shower_

_I rmbr what u liked_

_Was expecting that last Friday tbh_

_Quite frankly u suck_

It ended with a photo of a Pokémon he just encountered. 

_Fucker got away_

“Christ, Gwaine…” He replied, _Excuse me, what do you mean ‘I suck’?_

_Need 2learn a thing or 2 about 3some_

Arthur replied: _Type normally or I won’t have a clue what you’re on about._

_Shut up. You didn’t evn ask for permission_

_Permission for what?_

_To F him_

He sat upright on the couch, furiously typing, _Now I’ve got to ask your ffing permission?_

His phone beeped three times in a row. 

_No_

_Idiot_

_His_


	7. The Deeds

“A court case?” 

“Perhaps not, maybe it’s just an empty threat,” Agravaine replied during their early Friday morning meeting. The clock hadn’t even struck nine yet, and Arthur’s uncle had gathered the whole group, Arthur, Merlin, and Uther, into the boardroom for the latest update. 

“But… They don’t have a case, sir,” Merlin said. 

Agravaine opened a large folder in front of him and looked unpleasantly in Merlin’s direction. “They are saying they patented part of what you used to write the software, so it’s not that simple.” 

Merlin frowned. “I wrote every piece of that software,” he said. 

Agravaine went through his pile of papers and held out a document with Valiant Corp’s logo printed at the top. “Apparently one of their employees who is working on a similar program noticed the code and brought forward the case. A mister Mordred Ba—” 

“ _Mordred?!_ ” Merlin shouted. 

The three men looked at him impatiently. 

Merlin slammed his pen down. “I tutored Mordred in programming at university. I was three years his senior. If he claims to have any authority on this type of coding it’s only because _I_ taught him.” 

“Keep your pants on,” Agravaine said. “We need to get to the bottom of this.” 

Merlin felt Arthur’s gaze on him and it took every inch of restraint not to look back at him. Instead he glared at Arthur’s uncle. The tension hung thick in the air. 

Agravaine eyed Merlin for a moment longer. “Fine. I’ll take this lead and work on it. Meanwhile you should prepare further evidence of your creation.” 

Uther stood up and held something out to Merlin. “I’ve obtained a copy of their patented code. Make sure the court case is tight, do you understand? We need to hit them full force! Arthur, you’re to help him get prepared.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened and he strained his brain to stay on topic. His mouth felt dry and the hairs at the back of his neck pricked. 

“Yes, father,” came Arthur’s voice, clear and stable. 

Merlin glanced over to see Arthur’s blue eyes looked directly at him. Something set alight in his belly. For a moment he forgot to breathe. The look Arthur gave him withheld all information, apart from the sight part of his lips, and the muscles moving in his neck when he took a deep breath. And when Arthur wiped the palms of his hands on his pant suit, revealing his discomfort, Merlin was transfixed. 

Agravaine was talking, but Merlin didn’t register anything anymore. He simply couldn’t help it. He was staring straight at Arthur’s groin and couldn’t tear his eyes away. Was that bulge simply the fold of the suit, or was there more? He knew it was improper to stare, a little voice at the back of his mind was telling him so. But he vividly recalled last week’s adventure, how he got to enjoy Arthur’s glorious, thick, veined cock. First with his mouth, then from behind. Arthur had been rough and it had been so, so good. 

Uther and Agravaine got to their feet and said to reconvene next week. Merlin startled back out of his fantasy and stared at Arthur, wide-eyed. A frown had settled on Arthur’s face and he turned to say goodbye to his father and uncle. Merlin said nothing. 

Merlin bit his lip and stood up, fighting the storm inside of him. That’s it. He blew it. He gathered his notes and stumbled towards the door. 

“What time?” came Arthur’s voice out of nowhere. Uther and Agravaine were already halfway down the hall and Merlin was just at the door opening. 

He turned back, looking at Arthur still seated at the meeting table. His voice still hadn’t come round to make any sense. 

Arthur cleared his throat and avoided looking at Merlin by checking his phone. “Tomorrow, what time?” 

For a moment Merlin panicked. Perhaps Arthur had seen him look so blatantly at his crotch. But there was nothing to it. They had said it several times. It was only casual. “At eight. Gwaine’s place.” Even if Arthur was technically still his boss. 

Arthur didn’t stop typing on his phone. He simply gave him a nod. “I have practice. I’ll be late.” 

Merlin shrugged. “Sure.” 

Arthur looked up at him and their eyes met again. They didn’t exchange any more words, there simply wasn’t any room for it. At least Merlin wasn’t getting any shitty retorts. But this was ridiculous. 

He turned around and left, checking his steps so that he wasn’t literally running away. Perhaps Arthur felt pressured into it, he didn’t know. Something was off. 

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and told Gwaine that Arthur was on board. 

  
  


* 

Arthur rang the doorbell. He was dressed in his dark blue sports slacks, a white T-shirt and running shoes, and had his sports bag in his hand. It was the only way he could beat the clock somewhat. It was nearly nine o’clock in the evening and Gwaine had texted his address over with a combination of strange smiley faces; he got the winky face, and the rainbow, but the octopus and the top-hat had him rather worried. 

He had spent all of football practice thinking about their meetup today. The exercise and the gathering of hard, muscular bodies had kept him in a state of light arousal. It was the reason he hadn’t showered there, but gone straight to Gwaine’s place. To his astonishment, Gwaine still lived in the same apartment building which he vaguely remembered from several years earlier and had conveniently forgotten about for all that time. 

The door opened and the smile Gwaine gave him was both brilliant and disturbing. “Merlin said you’d be late. Ball practice, huh? Plenty more in here where that came from,” Gwaine murmured as he looked Arthur up and down and invited him in. 

Arthur closed the door behind him, dropped the bag and took his shoes off. “He’s here?” He pretended that his elevated heartbeat was just from rushing over after practice. He hung up his jacket and regarded Gwaine. He was dressed in a funny bright purple T-shirt and light grey slacks. Gwaine wasn’t wearing any briefs below that, judging by the obvious form poking forward in Arthur’s direction. 

Past Gwaine, he saw the living room with the curtains drawn and several lights on, looking cosy. Merlin was seated on the couch, with a drink in his hand, focused on the television in front of him. Arthur pretended that it wasn’t a big deal at all and that he hadn’t come to fuck but to talk. Or something. Fucking was definitely better.  

“Alright there, mate?” Gwaine asked, pulling Arthur’s attention back with a gentle stroke of his palm over Arthur’s cheek. 

This was very different sober, Arthur thought. He looked at Gwaine, at his carefully maintained casual stubble and down to the necklace just visible over his shirt. “Yeah, I am now,” he said and crowded Gwaine against the wall of the narrow hall. 

Wordlessly, Gwaine drew him in and pulled Arthur’s chin slightly up for a kiss. Arthur pressed his chest against Gwaine’s and allowed himself to fall into Gwaine’s arms. He needed something right now. He closed his eyes and leaned in. 

Their lips locked into a kiss, and Arthur’s hand searched down over Gwaine’s chest, into his waistband and fingered past Gwaine’s dick to take a hold of his balls. By the startled gasp, Arthur assumed Gwaine hadn’t expected that. Arthur’s hand gently stroked, rolling the contents through his fingers teasingly. Gwaine’s arms folded around Arthur’s shoulders and he seemed to submit to the move. That pleased him very much. 

Arthur felt needy. He tilted his head to the other side and kissed him again, briefly scanning for eye-contact, and saw that Gwaine wasn’t wearing his usual grin as armor, but was genuinely getting into it. Good, that would speed things up. This time, Gwaine’s tongue battled his in a fierce duel that left them both breathless and giddy, and left Arthur’s lip raw from Gwaine’s moustache. 

When Arthur pulled back and Gwaine was panting, he told him with a smirk, “Well, you did offer ballplay.” He pulled his hand out of Gwaine’s slacks and briefly glanced over to Merlin who had long since ignored the television and was staring in their direction wide-eyed and slack-jawed. 

“I should really take a shower,” Arthur said, swiftly rearranging his growing erection to be less obscene. 

“Just a bit pongy, mate,” Gwaine said with a grin and threw his arm up to sniff his own armpit. “Mind you, I think I’ll join.” 

Arthur took off his watch and pocketed it, glancing quickly at Merlin. He noticed that Merlin had made an effort to look nice. He was wearing dark grey skinny jeans with a black belt, and a checkered shirt with the cuffs folded up a few times. A leather band graced his wrist. 

“Well?” Arthur asked simply and passed the living room to head for the bathroom. He heard, rather than saw Merlin scramble to his feet. 

As he turned on the bathroom light and took off his shirt and socks, he replayed the ‘Well?’ over in his head. What had he been _thinking_? Not even a hi, or a how are you? Mind you, he hadn’t exchanged such pleasantries with Gwaine either. They weren’t here to talk, right? Besides, Merlin was his employee. Probably the fewer words exchanged, the better. 

While all of this played in his head, Gwaine and Merlin had entered the bathroom too. Gwaine was buck naked already, of course. 

“Are we here again?” Gwaine said, looking at Merlin, who was still fully dressed. “Seriously, what are we to do with you?” 

“Oi, shut up!” Merlin complained, as Gwaine undid the top button of Merlin’s shirt. “I sat here waiting for an hour, and you guys went off to start without me!” 

Arthur turned on the shower and teased, “You spent an hour alone with Gwaine? I can hear your remorse.” He saw how the filthy look Merlin shot him quickly dissolved and turned into an observation of Arthur’s body. 

“You’ve still got your shoes on. Come on,” Gwaine knelt on one knee and placed one of Merlin’s feet onto his other knee to untie the laces to Merlin’s Converse sneakers. 

Arthur came to stand behind Merlin and helped unbuckle his belt, while Merlin angrily finished the last buttons to his shirt. As Arthur slid the leather material out of the buckle, he sighed against Merlin’s shoulder. After pushing the button open and slowly lowering the zipper, instead of helping Merlin out of the skintight trousers, he wormed his fingers under the waistband at Merlin’s back and cupped an arse cheek, flesh on flesh. 

Merlin’s arse cheek fit into Arthur’s hand so perfectly, God. Arthur bit his lip and gave a squeeze, earning a gasp from Merlin, who turned his head sideways to meet his. They were nose to nose, and while Gwaine shifted to pick up Merlin’s other foot, they ended up kissing. 

Having Merlin’s lips against his, after a week of studying them at the office, made Arthur’s cock jerk in delight and his head swim. Merlin’s head was tilted all the way to the side to accommodate for their languid, experimental kiss. 

“Right! All done!” Gwaine said loudly. “I don’t know how the fuck you got into those jeans, but you’re going to have to get yourself out of them, sweetcakes.” 

Arthur didn’t know when his eyes had closed, but he opened them again and pulled back. Merlin wiggled out of his shirt at last and Arthur helped him. Gwaine walked past them and stepped into the shower, uttering a Neanderthal groan of delight as the warm water hit him. 

“Nice shirt,” Arthur said, simply because he wanted to acknowledge how Merlin had made the effort. 

The curious glance Merlin shot him made him wish he could bite back the words instantly. He turned away, folded the shirt and placed it beside the towels. He stepped out of his sports slacks and boxer shorts before stepping in after Gwaine. Gwaine made room for him and he gratefully stepped under the warm water, closing his eyes. 

Gwaine’s shower wasn’t large enough to accommodate for three people easily. The glass panel was open and remained so, and Arthur tried very hard not to stare at Merlin as he wedged himself out of those impossible trousers and nearly fell over in the process, twice. 

Before long, Gwaine was squirting body lotion into his hands and soaping Arthur up, starting at his chest and working his way eagerly over his shoulders, arms and even under his armpits. “Stop squealing, princess,” he said, when Arthur wanted to remark on how awkward that made him feel. Gwaine’s lopsided grin turned sly when he began working the soap down over Arthur’s length. 

“I got this,” Arthur said quickly and cleaned himself. “And don’t call me princess.” He was ready to pop, and they had hardly even begun. He stepped back just as Merlin entered and tried to wring himself into the tight space. 

Gwaine pulled Merlin under the stream of the water, and for a moment it was all elbows and slippery footwork until they got settled, Gwaine having pushed Arthur out of the way entirely. Arthur had to be very careful not to overstimulate his tip as he washed the soap away, while he observed the other two sexing each other up. Gwaine’s strong arms held Merlin, and one of Gwaine’s hands was delving down between Merlin’s cheeks, experimentally and teasingly. 

Arthur stepped out and picked up a random folded towel, willing his throbbing cock to calm for a moment. It was too much stimulation. Perhaps he had looked forward to this a bit too much. 

“Hand me that black bottle on the sink, would you, mate?” Gwaine drawled. 

Happy for the distraction, Arthur searched Gwaine’s array of belongings before he found the lube. “Back Door? That makes it sound like a virus.” 

Merlin snorted. 

As Arthur handed the bottle over, he saw how Gwaine pressed Merlin face first against the wall and lubed up his hand to begin preparing him. Merlin held his arms out against the tiles, and closed his eyes, as he anticipated the slick fingers entering him. It was at exactly that moment that Arthur concluded that Merlin had the cutest, tiniest bottom he had ever seen. He observed how Merlin slightly arched his back and made himself fully available, and that motion alone was worth over a month of wank material, Arthur was sure. 

He further noted the angle of Merlin’s lowest ribs, jutting out now that his back was arched, and below that the barest hint of a line of muscle where his V-line began. He saw how the shower water directly splashed onto his lower back, adding a wet gloss to Merlin’s skin that tantalised Arthur and thrilled him even more. 

He forgot to breathe as he watched the small expressions on Merlin’s face, while Gwaine worked him up expertly. He couldn’t forget how those two had shared a dorm in the past. Was it like that then too? 

Merlin made a small sound of pleasure, and Arthur instantly wished he was the one opening him up. He needed to be in there, like nothing else he had ever known. At the same time he was glad that he could observe as Merlin’s lips parted and how he pressed his forehead against the cool tiles, spreading his legs further. Merlin’s full and heavy cock was angled down, just barely visible past his slender thighs, as he arched his back further. 

“Yeah, that’s it,” Gwaine mumbled as he pushed a third finger in. “You like that?” 

When Arthur glanced up, stupidly, to see what Merlin’s reaction to that would be, he saw that Merlin was looking right back at him out of the corner of his eyes, with a delirious look on him. Arthur was hooked on it like a fucking junkie. 

“I want your little arse to ride me,” Gwaine drawled, pulled his fingers out, and smacked Merlin’s bottom with a wet slap. 

Merlin closed his eyes and broke eye contact. Arthur turned away, cheeks flushed, and didn’t know how quickly he had to exit the bathroom. “I’m getting a drink,” he muttered as excuse, stepping through Gwaine’s apartment naked and still half wet. This wasn’t a particular problem until he opened the fridge door and hissed at his own stupidity, as the rapidly cooling droplets on his body sent goosebumps over his skin. 

He took out a beer bottle and pressed it against his face. 

_Fuck._

  
  


* 

Merlin was just done towelling his hair dry when he felt an arm hook through his and drag him towards the bedroom. What Gwaine’s bathroom lacked in space, his bedroom made up for. It was spacious, with a large bed, overflowing wardrobe, and a messy desk and chair in the corner, where Gwaine had most of his work piled up. 

Before Merlin had time to witness anything further, Gwaine dragged him down on top of him and Merlin easily fell into their languid, delicious grind, his legs straddling Gwaine’s slim waist and his cock rubbing against the other’s for friction. Gwaine’s half-wet hair was splayed out over the pillow and probably wetting it for the night, but Merlin couldn’t remember Gwaine ever really caring about that sort of thing. Not if sex was on the menu. 

True to form, he soon felt Gwaine’s focus shift to their dicks as he took them both in hand and languidly pulled them off. Merlin sucked in a sharp breath and raked his hands over Gwaine’s chest, pinching a nipple as he went. He saw Gwaine’s eyebrows bunch and knew he was enjoying this. _A lot_. 

The moment Arthur stepped in the room was marked by three things: first a breeze as the door opened and closed, secondly a nervous excited feeling rippling through Merlin as he knew that Arthur, _still_ his boss, was watching him have sex; and thirdly, Gwaine reached out, picked up a condom from atop the nightstand and slipped into it, before grabbing Merlin by the hips and deciding that it was time to up the stakes. The tip of his long dick pushed against Merlin’s entrance. His first reaction was to stiffen and clench at the invasion, but then he put a hand on Gwaine’s chest, leaned on it and allowed himself to relax. 

“That’s it, come on now,” Gwaine cooed. 

“Shut up, you’re breaking my concentration,” Merlin said with a sideways grin. He felt the pressure as Gwaine pushed into him, that marvelous stretch that filled him up in a way that made his cock throb. He was being used and being watched. He leaned his head back and sighed. This was so perfect. 

“I’m breaking _my_ concentration,” Gwaine said, tilting his hips up, as if he wanted more, _so_ much more from Merlin. Gwaine’s cock was impressive more in length than in girth, which meant it took a while for Merlin to comfortably take all of him in and be fully seated. He slowly rode up and down, the slick lube making lush noises over the rubber of the condom, and he watched Gwaine come apart beneath him. 

“Ohh, wait wait wait,” Gwaine said and he panted, stilling his movement. 

Merlin looked over his shoulder to see Arthur watching. Still only watching. Wasn’t he going to join in some way? Arthur’s gaze was intent and dark. Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but wasn’t sure what. Not when Gwaine thrust up suddenly and let out another long, slow moan. 

“Fuck, I need something to distract me. Come on, Artie. Help a man out?” 

Arthur put down his beer bottle on Gwaine’s desk and approached. Merlin could never quite read him. Only when he was being annoying, because then he was really obvious. When Arthur had one of his quiet moods, Merlin didn’t know what ran through his head at all. Perhaps that’s why he yanked Arthur’s chain so often. 

“There,” Gwaine said and pointed, “In the cabinet. The teal box.” 

“What the fuck is teal?” Arthur asked and it made Merlin snort in response. “This blue thing? Right…” 

The teal box, as it turned out, contained a collection of sex toys. 

“Move,” Arthur said in a deep, hoarse, commanding voice, as he placed himself behind Merlin. 

First, Merlin thought the order was directed at him, but Gwaine’s hands settled themselves on Merlin’s hips, cock still firmly seated inside, and he felt Gwaine spread his legs beneath him. He didn’t dare to look back, not now. He felt the warmth of Arthur’s body behind him, could almost feel his touch. But Arthur’s task was clear, distract Gwaine. 

“You use all of these?” Arthur asked, incredulous. 

“All the time, mate,” Gwaine panted. “I give them names and feed them treats if they’re good.” 

“Right,” Arthur said, and Merlin felt his breath on his shoulder blade. “So, tell me, who is this?” 

“Ahh,” Gwaine said with his eyes closed, and his brow pinched again. “That’s Pinky, the smallest one.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened and he turned around to see Arthur with an open bottle of lube and a small pink buttplug, which he was slowly pushing into Gwaine’s arse. 

“ _That’s_ distraction?” Merlin said. 

Arthur sat up straight and gave Merlin another one of his unfathomable looks. But from up close, Merlin could see beneath the mask. Arthur was wrecked. His movements were deliberate and slow, as if he fought to keep himself in control. Merlin sucked in a breath and turned away from that intense gaze, feeling a flush creep down his neck. 

“Fuck, if it works… next one, Artie?” Gwaine gasped and his fingers dug into Merlin’s thighs. 

“Okay, why don’t you introduce me?” Arthur suggested. Merlin heard a squirt and felt Gwaine buck beneath him. It pushed Merlin up too, and he steadied himself, biting back a moan as the movement made Gwaine’s dick rub a good spot inside of him. 

“Freddy, definitely Freddy. The green one, with the ribs.” One of Gwaine’s hands shot up and he pushed himself down from the headboard as if trying to get more action from what Arthur was doing. 

“Good, very good,” came Arthur’s voice as if he was some twisted teacher testing his pupil. Merlin’s mind warped and he felt giddy. Arthur continued, undeterred. “And how about…” 

“ _Fuck_ , Annabelle,” Gwaine said.

“What the—,” Arthur began. 

“Blasphemy!” Merlin cried out. 

“What? I once went out with a trans woman. Her name was Annabelle, and she loved the beads, okay? Got me hooked on it too.” 

“Something for your list, _Mer_ lin?” The voice was dangerously close to Merlin’s ear and he shivered. 

“Maybe,” he said, and he couldn’t talk more because Gwaine was moving again. His mind was all fog with the heated movement, Gwaine slowly fucking into him and losing control bit by bit. The distraction _had_ helped, but now Gwaine was even wilder than before. Merlin leaned over Gwaine’s chest and pulled a strand of wet hair off his forehead. 

“Alright, doing good so far,” Arthur said imperiously. Merlin heard him fiddle with something. “And what do you call this one?” 

Gwaine opened his eyes again, “Ohh, _God_ ,” he groaned. 

The next moment, Merlin felt Arthur’s body close to his, and Gwaine’s legs being pushed apart even further. 

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Arthur said, his voice stiff with concentration. 

_Arrogant prat_ , Merlin wanted to say. _Snob_ , came up in his head. But the only word that came out of his mouth was, “ _Fuck_ ,” because the idea of Arthur’s glorious cock riding Gwaine, who was fucking up into Merlin, was too good. An involuntary shiver ran through his body as he felt Arthur’s chest touch his back. 

Arthur started the rhythm slow. In his movement, he had come to control the situation. They would fuck at his speed, and his speed alone. His thrusts were long, and deep, and Gwaine had grabbed onto Merlin’s arms, as if it would prevent him from giving in to orgasm. Gwaine had long since closed his eyes and was fully focused on the feeling. 

And Arthur rocked their bodies with his thrusts. Each time he moved forward, he gave a final rough push, which sent Gwaine’s hips bucking into Merlin. And each time it came, Merlin let out a small ‘ahh’, as he felt its push. 

Arthur’s hand snaked around Merlin’s chest and held on, Arthur’s body resting against Merlin’s back, as he started to push harder and faster. Merlin wasn’t sure what to do with himself, as he felt the movement coming through the grasp of Arthur’s strong arm around him. Arthur sped up even more, their combined moans filling the room. 

Merlin let the rhythm be dictated for him, lost in the sensation. Somewhere, he felt Arthur’s hand move down and give Merlin’s dick a few pulls. Merlin clenched in response, trying to keep himself from spilling over the edge too soon, but Gwaine had taken one look and his body stiffened, a strangled noise escaped his throat, and Merlin felt his cock throbbing thickly inside him. 

This was it, Merlin thought. A proper threesome. Not that playing they did last time. His mind was muddled with the very thought. 

Gwaine collapsed into a boneless heap and Merlin took a moment to recollect himself, slowly easing himself off Gwaine, peeling the man’s fingers from his body. 

Before he knew what was happening, he felt Arthur’s hands on him, pushing him aside and onto his back. With Gwaine coming to terms with his own existence beside him, Arthur was now fully focused on Merlin. He placed himself between Merlin’s legs and climbed over him, his hips lowering with intent. A moment later, Merlin felt Arthur’s cock push at his hole. 

He gasped. This wasn’t what he wanted. He’d intended to ask for a blowjob, especially since he had used one to tease Arthur with it last time, and hadn’t gotten any oral service back. And, perhaps, also a bit, because Arthur was still in charge, and what could be better than getting serviced by the very person who uses that mouth to order you around? 

Before he had vocalized any of this, or even considered which part of this was worth vocalizing, Arthur had effectively hooked a hand under one of Merlin’s knees, pulling it up, and was leaning on the other one, crowding him with his body, and pushing further inside of him. 

“What are you—?” he began, but he swallowed the rest of the words away as he felt Arthur’s length shove inside. He stared wide-eyed and failed to bite back a moan that was pushed out of him. 

The _look_ Arthur was giving him was of the purest lust Merlin had ever seen. His half-dry hair hung over his forehead; his mouth was open to take in enough oxygen and it made the sharp angles of his face stand out. His blue eyes were dark, and lidded, fully focused on Merlin’s face and nowhere else. 

Fuck, if he wasn’t gorgeous. 

Merlin wanted to complain, he really did, but his body was responding far more intensely than he expected, especially when Arthur tilted his hips further and gave Merlin’s dick some friction against his abs, something to rub against. Merlin’s arms had uselessly come to rest against Arthur’s shoulders, as if to push him away, but he found he lacked, or otherwise couldn’t find, the strength for it. 

Beside him he felt Gwaine stir. “Oi,” the drowsy man said, and he was looking at Arthur with a frown. 

Nothing but a grunt was offered in reply, as Merlin felt how Arthur tested the limits of his access to Merlin’s rear, and it was both painful and sweet at the same time. Merlin leaned his head to the side and gasped for the breath he didn’t know he needed. 

At the movement, Gwaine reached over to kiss Merlin, but Arthur’s hand moved up in between them as he steadied himself. Merlin was still entirely drunk on the feeling of Arthur slowly sliding in and out of him. It was so hot, too hot. One way or another, Arthur had slicked himself up well, and Merlin honestly didn’t know how Arthur was holding himself back like he was. 

Gwaine wasn’t pleased though, a hand coming up to Arthur’s elbow and trying to move him. 

“Oi, you didn’t think about what I said? About asking?” Gwaine said low, and not too friendly. 

Merlin wanted to talk, to ask what that meant, but Arthur’s mouth was against his neck, kissing and grazing with heated determination. It drove any further thoughts from Merlin’s mind and made his cock leak precome on his belly. 

“Did you hear me?” Gwaine asked again, sitting up. 

Something was wrong, Merlin knew, but he didn’t understand what. He didn’t want anything to stop, not now. Not when he felt the curls of Arthur’s chest hair against his own, his heavy body leaning down into him. Not while he could peek at the rise and fall of Arthur’s arse as he entered him slowly, again and again. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Arthur breathed into his ear. 

“No,” Merlin managed to squeeze out of his throat. He knew he was whimpering, but he couldn’t help it. He needed more, he needed all of it. “Fuck me, please,” he said and he felt lightheaded for even uttering the words. 

It was all Arthur needed to hear, apparently, because he switched his pace and didn’t hold back anymore. His free hand sneaked between their bodies and wrapped around Merlin’s dick as Arthur pounded into him. The delicious sound of skin slapping against skin, and the thud of Arthur’s body against his, drove him to higher spheres. 

And Merlin lost himself completely, more powerfully than the last time, as Arthur hit that spot again and again, ruthless, fast, and hard. Arthur’s hand pumped him long and tight. It all crashed into him and he didn’t even realize he was shouting out until it all ebbed away, Arthur stilling with a hitch and a groan, and they both collapsed to catch their breath. 

  
  


* 

Arthur was hooked. He was a fucking junkie. He lay down on the mattress, feeling the various aches and tensions over his body, and all he could think about was how much he needed to do that again, and again. 

His little bubble of paradise was pierced with Gwaine grabbing his shoulder roughly. “Listen, mate, and I’m only going to say this once, but what you’re doing is the start of real problems.” 

Arthur didn’t want to hear it, but the hand was shaking him insistently. 

“The fuck you on about?” Arthur said gruffly and looked at Gwaine with serious annoyance. 

“I’m negative, so this time it won’t make a difference, but we don’t use condoms as a fucking joke, mate. You _can’t_ fuck me and use the same one on him!” For once Gwaine’s expression was serious. 

Arthur sat up and looked down at the used condom still on his dick. He reached out beside the collection of sex toys and held something up. “I didn’t. I’m not an idiot,” was all Arthur said. He could argue with Gwaine, but he was physically and mentally too exhausted for it. 

Gwaine relaxed visibly, but he was still unhappy. Merlin’s hand came to rest on Gwaine’s leg and squeezed. “You got a towel?” His voice came softly, as if from far away. 

“Yeah, hold on.” 

When they were all more or less cleaned up, Arthur stretched himself out over the bed, clad in his trackie bottoms which he had retrieved from the bathroom. Gwaine lazed beside him, still naked and seemingly comfortable that way. They both looked at Merlin enter with a fresh batch of beers from the kitchen, wearing nothing but his briefs. _Just what a man wants,_ Arthur thought to himself. 

“You gotta tell me about Annabelle some time,” Merlin said with a grin as he clinked his bottle against Gwaine’s beer and seated himself at the edge of the bed, looking at both of them sideways. 

The sly smile on Gwaine’s face spoke volumes. “She looked a bit like Mrs Dolma, remember her? From Econ?” 

Merlin chuckled lightly, “You’re still on about that? Dolma was a woman.” 

Gwaine took a swig of his beer and shook his head. “And I _still_ don’t believe you. If she had caught us in the principal’s office, I might have heard her yelp and be convinced once and for all.” 

“You fucked in the principal’s office?” Arthur asked incredulously. 

“Not fucking,” Gwaine corrected. “But we might have been making out on his desk.” 

Merlin was blushing and looking down, his lips curling into a shy grin. 

“I see,” Arthur said and drank some more beer. It served to cool him down. He would have to stop imagining them in compromising positions at university. It was driving him bonkers. 

“Come now, princess, what is it you really want to know?” Gwaine asked and nudged Arthur with his leg. 

Arthur peeled at the label of the bottle and shrugged. It was cosy as they were now, the three of them somehow at total ease in Gwaine’s bedroom. And that’s how it was supposed to be, casual. Nothing complicated. He stared absentmindedly at Merlin’s hand leaning on the sheets. 

“You want to know if it was always just casual,” Gwaine said. “I’m an expert at reading people, you know.” 

Arthur raised a brow skeptically. “I don’t care about that,” he lied. 

“I’m reading you right now,” Gwaine sing-songed and leaned his head over in Arthur’s direction. 

“No, you’re not. If you did, you wouldn’t keep calling me princess. On pain of death,” Arthur snapped back. 

“He just needs these,” Merlin piped in. He had picked up Gwaine’s reading glasses from the desk and wore them. 

Both Gwaine and Arthur were quiet for a full five seconds. Then Gwaine got up and reached for them. “Oi, give those back! I just got new ones!” 

Merlin hooted and stayed just out of reach, backing up around the corner of the bed. 

Arthur let out a sigh. “Watch it!” he said when Merlin charged across the bed, naked Gwaine chasing him, jumping, and catching Merlin by his briefs. “Got you,” he said, sprawled over Arthur’s legs, with his hand stretched out, finger hooked in Merlin’s briefs, which were now hanging halfway down his bum and preventing Merlin from taking another step. 

“Alright, alright,” Merlin conceded and handed them back. “What do you even need them for? What sort of work do you do?” 

“I thought the mess on my desk spoke for itself,” Gwaine said, crawling upright and giving Arthur more than an eye-full. “I’m an accountant.” 

“So, you actually _can_ count to more than three?” Arthur deadpanned. 

Merlin broke up into laughter. 

Gwaine started chuckling. “Good thing that I can, too.” He put the glasses away on his nightstand and ran a hand through his hair. “I only wear them in the mornings, before I put my lenses in and head out for the day. Now that you know my secret, you can stay over if you want.” 

“Are you breaking your one rule?” Arthur asked him sharply. 

“Naw, that doesn’t count when it’s my house.” 

“I think he just wants his pillow,” Merlin offered. He finished his beer and placed it on the desk. 

Arthur huffed a laugh and caught Merlin’s pleased look from the corner of his eyes. 

Gwaine pulled the blankets up and over him. “Alright alright, I take it back. I’m kicking you guys out!” 

“I was just getting comfortable,” Arthur said, leaning back against the headboard and sticking several fingers under his waistband Al Bundy style. 

“It’s raining,” Merlin complained and climbed into the bed. 

The truth was, Arthur hadn’t intended to stay at all. He felt increasingly confused and off guard and it was very unlike him. He should head home and clear his mind. And yet, it was as if Gwaine and Merlin were deliberately trying to show him what casual could really be like. It was easy, he could do it. Right?

… 

Right?


	8. Stored Up

Arthur Pendragon was a supercilious bastard, and Merlin wondered why he had ever doubted. It was Wednesday and he had spent several days working on his development sprint, fixing bugs as per Gaius’ instructions, as well as going over Valiant Corp’s provided code. And Arthur had bailed on their project entirely. 

Merlin had emailed Arthur several questions about the complex and entirely unnecessary legal terminologies for the upcoming trial, and Arthur had responded only on Tuesday evening that Merlin should try to Google it. So much for Uther’s instructions for Arthur to help him figure this out. Merlin leaned back in his desk chair and considered going up to Arthur’s office and make his opinion known. 

But he couldn’t do that. Not the way he wanted to. Not after what they had done during the weekend. Sunday morning, the three of them had awoken cuddling and sensually holding each other’s bodies close, then for some reason Arthur had taken off without so much as a goodbye, and that’s the last he’d seen of him. 

Gwaine had stopped replying to Merlin’s texted complaints by now. 

He’d started by saying how Arthur hadn’t brought anything to their evening, had left them hanging, and hadn’t really asked any of them what they wanted. He’d taken a beer, without offering them any drinks, and he’d just _left_. 

Gwaine had shrugged and said that’s how it went with casual, you couldn’t expect too much. Leaving people in their own bubble was the best option. 

Merlin had soundly ignored Gwaine’s expertise. He couldn’t. He had to work with Arthur. And therein lay the biggest problem. He’d spotted Arthur at lunch the day before, nearly done with his lunch. Merlin had nodded at him in greeting across the cafeteria. It had been fine, totally fine, until Arthur had left the rest of his lunch and walked back to his office. Arthur had never left his lunch before, not to Merlin’s knowledge. He believed in his proteins religiously. 

And somehow, Arthur had made Merlin feel like he was the problem. 

It made him feel terrible, because he now was trying to defend himself from Valiant Corp’s ridiculous attack and Gaius’s absurd planning schedule for their new software, as well as Arthur’s passive aggressive attitude. 

Merlin needed this job. He _liked_ working here. His colleagues were fun, and he was good at what he did, perhaps one of the strongest members in his team for software programming. He used to go to bed dreaming about how to solve certain issues, or how to improve certain algorithms or interfaces to make it _even_ better. And he had started to feel proud of what he’d done. Now, all his pride was being taken away from him one step at a time. 

He had a meeting with Arthur scheduled in twenty minutes, the end of the day. And he decided not to go. He didn’t tell Gaius of the upcoming meeting and instead remained absorbed into his programming spree, keeping his headphones on and blasting some loud, repetitive music. 

Nothing, no reply, no email. Gaius didn’t get a phone call from the offices above them, and Merlin went home seething and switched off his phone for the night. 

Whatever Arthur’s problem was, he would have to confront him, and soon. Their threesomes were an escape, not a bloody sabotage to everything they worked for. Merlin was fairly sure Pendragon VR would suffer if both of them couldn’t operate properly. Perhaps it had all been a huge mistake to ask to go home with Arthur in the first place. Clearly, he couldn’t handle it. 

Anyhow, Merlin’s tactic had worked. 

Perhaps a bit too well. 

The next morning, Merlin was the first in the basement as usual. As he turned on the light, he saw that the door to the server room was opened. He frowned. That shouldn’t happen, ever. Unless Gaius was already there after all. 

“Gaius?” Merlin asked and stepped into the small server room, where the permanent sound of an airplane taking off in the distance filled the room. The walls held stocked shelves with assorted keyboards, monitors, adapters and other bits and pieces. A closed cabinet to the side held all the loose cables and devices for them to work with. 

The door to the server room suddenly closed and Arthur stood there, his suit and tie for the day impeccable, his watch on his wrist, and not a hair on his head out of place. The small lamp in the server room was barely enough to light the whole place up and it cast a shadow on the side of Arthur’s face. 

Merlin glared at him. “What is your problem?” 

“You didn’t show up to the meeting yesterday,” Arthur said nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets. 

Merlin tilted his head and stared at him. “That’s your reply?” The Employees Handbook came to mind just in time when he thought about giving Arthur an earful. He was a Pendragon, which meant he was still in charge. And Merlin still stood to lose his job. He clenched his jaw. The door was closed, and there was nobody in the basement, nobody who could hear anything Merlin said. 

“Well, what’s your excuse?” Arthur asked him with narrowed eyes. 

“You lock me in here just to bully me? I’ve been _trying_ to communicate to you normally and this is how you decide to go about the case?” 

“It’s not,” Arthur said. 

“What?” 

“The door’s not locked,” he said, his eyes dark and his expression indecipherable. 

Merlin wasn’t sure what to do with this information. He balled his fists and thought about stepping out. But then he couldn’t tell Arthur what he really thought. He only stood there, looking stupidly attractive and unapproachable. “You bastard,” he said, not quite acknowledging he had the nerve to say the words. 

Arthur’s expression changed from unfathomable to something intent, as if he had been expecting this. 

Merlin thought him insufferable for that. “You just take and take, you never give anything back. Now you want me to attend your little meeting. And you don’t even know how stressful it’s been trying to prepare this case on my own. You don’t even ask…” He was beginning to get under Arthur’s skin, he could see it. Arthur was much more manageable if he was being a loud prat, rather than a quiet one. 

“You don’t think you get enough attention?” Arthur asked, taking a step closer. 

Merlin felt the tension in the room change. This wasn’t about the case at all. It was about Saturday. “That’s what this is about? You think I’m upset because I wanted to ask you for a blowjob, and you just did whatever the hell you wanted instead?” Merlin stilled and snapped his jaw shut. He shouldn’t have said that. 

Arthur’s eyes locked with his, and there was that intensity again. “You said please,” Arthur said. 

“What?” Merlin asked. He bit his lip because he heard the ding of the elevator arriving at the basement. That meant his colleagues would start spilling into the department. 

“I gave you what you wanted,” Arthur glared. “That’s what it looked like to me.” 

Merlin hissed back in a low voice, lest they be heard, “No, you just _take_ what you feel like. If there’s something you want, you should tell me!” 

Arthur licked his lips. “You want to know what I want?” 

Merlin stared back at him angrily. Arthur wasn’t holding it together. By the looks of it, he was ready to pop. He waited for an hour-long minute and finally said, “Yes.” 

Wasting no more time, Arthur pressed Merlin against the cabinet and shushed him when they heard vague voices on the other side of the door. Merlin had begun to struggle, but paused upon hearing the others, as they booted their machines and left again for coffee. They would be back, though, within minutes. 

“What I want?” Arthur said, so close to Merlin’s ear it was hard not to squirm. “I want to taste your sperm. I want to lick your hole until you don’t know what side is up or down. I want to tie you up and work you down, use you and pull you apart. I want to fuck you breathless, until you get all stupid, climb behind all these angry layers and find the real you underneath.” Lips grazed over Merlin’s neck as Arthur continued. “I want to hear you shout. I want the neighbors two floors down to complain. I want to push you over my desk, hear you beg me for it and give you all you want. And I can tell you this because I know something. You live for this. You like this. Gwaine joined you because he’s not going to say no to sex, but this is something you need. You need something outside the norm, something deviant, and kinky. I want you to know… that I know that.” 

Merlin was a breathless wreck. He didn’t know what exactly had happened, but his legs were jelly and his shirt stuck wetly to his back. Arthur’s body was pinning him upright, and it was all he could do to prevent falling to his knees. He was rock hard, shaking, hot. His head spun. Arthur couldn’t be saying these things, shouldn’t… 

Arthur’s hands lowered over Merlin’s sides and grabbed his trousers, yanking them down together with his briefs until his hips were exposed. Then Arthur knelt in his fancy suit onto the dusty floor and took Merlin’s cock into his mouth. 

Merlin sucked in a gasp. He was getting sucked off by his boss in the most delicious tease and it was wrong in so many ways. He was supposed to be angry with him, angry for the work, the meeting, and for what Arthur just said. But all he could focus on was the sensual pleasure singing through him at what Arthur’s mouth was doing to the tip of his cock. 

Still, he bit down on his lip, trying not to moan, in case his colleagues were on their way back. The door wasn’t locked after all. “Stop…” he begged. 

Arthur’s hands came up to Merlin’s hips and he pulled back still holding his tongue out, looking up at Merlin with wet lips and hazy eyes. “Do you really want that?” 

Merlin gulped and any weak resistance he had gathered flew out the window at the sight. The elevator dinged softly in the background. With the thick hum of the servers beside them, there wasn’t much he could hear about how many people were in the basement by now. He looked down at Arthur and shook his head. 

He threw his head back when Arthur took him back into his hot, wet mouth. Arthur began to use his hand to stroke and pump him a well. Merlin felt the excitement thrill through his system and he kept an eye on the door. What would anyone think if they found them like this? He shuddered and shivered at the thought and it pushed his pleasure towards its peak. 

Arthur was sucking in long, deep strokes and it was good, so good. Suddenly someone walked past the server room and as Merlin tried his best to keep his voice quiet, the effort shot straight to his cock and he grabbed Arthur’s hair and pumped him during his shuddering release. He managed to stay quiet, only with the utmost effort, and Arthur swallowed all of him until there were tears visible at the corners of his eyes. 

  
  


* 

Arthur stood up and studied Merlin, who was catching his breath as if he’d been for a run. There was a shine to his skin, and there were dark spots under his armpits. Arthur watched Merlin pull the skin back over his dick and carefully putting his briefs back on. The idea of Merlin still being sensitive hit a nerve. 

He was hard as hell too, his suit jacket could hide some of it at least. He leaned in to give him a filthy kiss on his obscene lips, and pulled back with a sigh. “Fix yourself up,” he said and took out his phone. 

“Arthur,” Merlin began, looking worried. 

Arthur held up a finger to his lips and typed a quick email. They had taken enough time. He would show his restraint. 

They heard voices in the basement, something about ‘boardroom’, and ‘let’s go’. Within a minute the collective shuffling of feet had left the basement empty. Merlin gaped at him. 

“I’ve called a meeting for the whole department. I will take the other elevator,” Arthur explained simply and he unlocked and opened the door. It was entirely abandoned and Arthur made for the elevators, absentmindedly wondering what the hell he had just done and how good it was. 

Once the meeting was underway, Arthur explained to the whole department what Valiant Corp had been busy with. He wasn’t hard in his trousers anymore, and he treated the day like normal, keeping himself perfectly together. He barely looked up when Merlin shuffled into the boardroom late, continuing with, “So, this means if Valiant Corp attempts to reach out to you in any way, you are to report this to me immediately. And I want double effort on our system security.” 

He didn’t even look at Merlin when he dismissed the department. One by one they began shuffling out. 

There, he could do ‘just casual’. 

Merlin had gotten something he wanted, and he hadn’t taken anything in return. Gwaine’s text on Monday had made him think. He should think more about what the others wanted. And he had done exactly that. It was perfect. 

When he looked up, Merlin was still standing in the room, glaring at him. Everyone else had left. 

“You utter plonker!” Merlin hissed and left. 

  
  


* 

“I still fail to see the problem,” Gwaine said, taking the lemon out of his daiquiri. 

“He did it again!” Merlin complained over his Tequila sunrise. They were seated in The Rising Sun on Thursday evening at eight, when it was rather quiet. Merlin had to keep his voice down, but he wanted to rage. He hadn’t stopped wanting to rage ever since Arthur had left him in that storeroom. 

“The way it sounds to me, he played you a bit. And you enjoyed it, right?” 

“That’s not the point,” Merlin said. 

“It is exactly the point, you daft Daffy, it sounds like exactly your thing.” 

Merlin seethed. It wasn’t that Gwaine was wrong. It wasn’t that Arthur had been wrong in figuring that out. “And he is supposed to just take over something like that, is he? He even lied that the door was unlocked!” 

“Did he force you?” Gwaine asked, leaning over his drink towards Merlin. 

Fiddling with his drink, Merlin looked down solemnly. “No, he even asked if I wanted to stop.” 

Fortunately, Gwaine didn’t respond to that, he just nodded knowingly and patted Merlin on the back. “See, he’s learning.” 

Merlin grumbled and shifted uncomfortably on his seat, remembering Saturday, when Arthur had been an intolerable ass at Gwaine’s place. He had also been exquisite, and a total stud. Merlin had been torn about what to do with that. He had been eager to see everything go back to normal again during the week, promising him that they could do this sort of thing. But with Arthur’s total absence, Merlin’s confidence in keeping normality had been broken. 

“Heads up!” 

A bright flash of a light took him out of his glum thoughts as Gwaine made a selfie of them. He pressed a button. “There, I’ll ask him to join us and we’ll talk this out.” 

“What? No!” Merlin said suddenly. 

Gwaine raised an eyebrow. “Come on, now. Talking is always best. I should know. I have a degree in it.” 

“You’re an accountant, remember?” Merlin complained. 

“I didn’t say it was an official degree,” Gwaine said with a grin. “But someone praised me once.” 

“Ugh.” Merlin rolled his eyes and shook his head with sass. “This was a mistake, all of this. My life was quiet and cheerful before all this happened.” 

“And you had great sex each weekend that made even the neighbors envious, right?” 

Merlin sat up straight and looked wide-eyed at Gwaine. “What?” 

“Not that I’ve had any complaints. But they would have heard you for certain. Don’t worry, they’ve heard worse coming from my room, I’m sure of it.” 

Merlin felt a heat creeping up to his cheeks. That was what Arthur had said. That he wanted to hear him. He bit back a retort by taking a long sip of his drink, hoping it would cool his insides. Talking with Gwaine was helping. 

“You know what the real problem is, behind all of this?” Gwaine offered in a more serious note. 

“That I work for him?” 

“Precisely. And he has control over your actions during the work week, simply because of that. And that’s not healthy. You can’t fully be free on the weekends, and you can’t fully slip back into servitude after that, in a manner of speaking.” 

Merlin fiddled with the ice blocks in his cocktail, turning them around and around in his glass. “I sort of like that part,” he admitted. 

“I don’t doubt it. But you guys should talk about that. I mean, it’s just something to enjoy on the weekends, same as going to the movies, but with more explosions, right?” 

Merlin snorted. 

Gwaine opened the screen of his phone and sighed. “He’s not looked at his phone. Probably at the gym or something, trying to bench press his libido away.” 

Merlin downed the last of his Tequila sunrise, which was mostly leftover Grenadine. “Don’t… give me visuals, Gwaine.” 

“Like you need me to.” Gwaine elbowed Merlin and they laughed. He shook his head and let out a long sigh. “Alright, I know what you want. Here, let me.” He typed into his phone again. “There, I set up another round for Saturday.” 

“You what??” Merlin looked aghast. 

“Relax, you’ll see him before then, right? Take some time to work out the kinks in the cables, make sure you’ve done it before Saturday. Trust me, doll, it’s for the best.” He gave Merlin a peck on the cheek and left to order another round of drinks. 

_Kinks in the cable,_ Merlin thought. _How about a Gordian knot?!_

  
  


* 

Friday morning Arthur was late for one of the first times in ages. He had hardly slept. Everything with the case and Merlin had taken up most of his night. That, and Gwaine’s texts. 

Truthfully, he had been glad Gwaine had texted him late at night. It had kept him somewhat together. It was mostly nonsense, and strange photos of Pokémon that Gwaine was trying to catch on his walk home, and later of a new set of buttplugs that had arrived. He had asked Arthur what he should name them and it had made him laugh. 

Also, it had meant that Merlin hadn’t gone home with Gwaine, and Arthur had secretly been glad about that too. Although he had pushed beyond the limits of their threesome appointments, he had rather hoped that Gwaine wouldn’t do the same. 

The elevator dinged, and the door opened to take him to their morning meeting with Agravaine, who had flown in again for the next step of the case. And Arthur was prepared, or so he thought. 

Merlin stood in the elevator, wearing his backpack and his hoodie, the hood covering his head almost completely. He must have seen Arthur enter, because he took a step aside and lowered his head. 

Arthur went to stand beside him and for a moment he was lost for words. 

“Are you ready for today’s meeting?” he asked nonchalantly. He should apologise, and he knew it. 

But Merlin was ignoring him now. No reply came. 

“We’re going to have to talk in the meeting, you know,” he added. He couldn’t let his doubts leak through. What would Merlin, or eventually his other employees think of him then? The elevator went swiftly up the to the right floor, and to Arthur it seemed like an age.

And Merlin still didn’t reply. 

Anguish, shame, and a heap of emotioned flowed through Arthur at that point. He could stand Merlin being rude, but not silent. He couldn’t stand not hearing from him. 

“Would you answer me!” he barked and put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder just as they arrived on their floor, spinning him around. 

Merlin jerked up and pulled his hoodie down. Arthur’s glare faded the moment he saw the headphones stuck in Merlin’s ears. The wire disappeared into Merlin’s scarf, connected to some pocketed device. 

“What the hell?” Merlin said. 

Arthur bit his lip. Merlin never talked to him like that. Not at the office. He didn’t know what to say. He simply frowned. Merlin got out of the elevator and put his hoodie back on. 

The door closed. 

And the elevator started moving up again. Arthur swore and hit the button for the next floor and had to take the stairs down. He’d forgotten to get out. 

  
  


* 

Uther Pendragon sat with his body half-turned away from Merlin’s presentation. Arthur saw his father working on his laptop instead of paying attention to Merlin, who was listing the which Pendragon VR included in their software, as compared to Valiant Corp’s smaller program. 

“That means the patented code looks incomplete, or… well, unfinished,” Merlin was saying. 

Agravaine was writing things down on occasion and asking on-point questions and making snarky remarks about their company owner, Mr Valiant, whose practices were shady at best. 

Merlin’s confidence was waning and he ended his presentation with a meek, “That was it.” 

Arthur stood up and connected his laptop to the projector while Merlin took his seat again. He waited in silence, taking his time until Uther looked up from his work. It was an aggressive move, but his father put his laptop aside and regarded him with new interest. 

“Forty-one builds,” Arthur said and began the PowerPoint presentation he had made. He used a pen-shaped remote, allowing him to click to get to the next slide. “There have been forty-one tested iteration builds of our software since Merlin began working on it nearly two years ago. I’ve been checking the comparative code, and there are indeed remarkable similarities.” 

From the corner, Merlin gave him a dark frown. 

“I’ve spent this past week checking Valiant Corp’s code and aligning it with the old code from earlier builds. I came across a specific build, halfway through the process. It was the twenty-ninth build, which was released on June 3rd last year.” 

Agravaine leaned forward over the desk and asked in a bored tone, “So, you sifted through code. What are you trying to tell us?” 

Arthur gave his uncle a nod. “A little patience. You’re going to love this, uncle.” 

“I talked to the front desk and asked for the logs of visitors for that week. It was the same week we planned our Internship Trainee Session, do you remember? More than ten potential interns applied to work here?” He directed the question at his father, who nodded briefly. Then he clicked to the next slide. “This is a copy of the attendee list. You will notice number ten on the list is named M. Banes.” 

“That’s Mordred!” Merlin blurted out. 

Arthur paused for effect. He saw his father sit up straighter, and Agravaine picked up his pen again. 

“You’re saying that Mordred was in our building that week?” Uther asked. 

“Merlin, did you have any personal contact with him that day?” Agravaine asked sharply. “If you ever showed him _anything_ , your career here—”

“No! I didn’t even know he had been here. But if he was…” 

“The twenty-ninth build’s code is nearly identical to the one patented,” Arthur continued with more energy. “However, there’s more. Mordred Banes is the publisher of several independent mobile projects that I found in the Google Play store. I pulled a favor with a friend, and managed to get an earlier submitted APK test build of that app, to look into the code.” 

“What did you find?” Agravaine asked with keen interest. 

Arthur put his hand on the table and looked straight at his uncle. “That Mordred’s code isn’t _nearly_ as refined as Merlin’s. And that app was released two months before his visit to Pendragon VR. No one switches engine that fast, or delivers software that fast. It is my belief that Mordred hacked into our network, _stole_ our build, and waited until we might not be able to find the comparison.” 

Uther closed his laptop, which was perhaps Arthur’s greatest recent victory. “And can you prove this?” 

“I have placed the two builds side by side and highlighted which specific elements were different. They added very little of value to the build. Furthermore, our next build did not contain these changes because we took a different direction. Merlin has been working on the code almost non-stop since that time. It is not only my belief that we can take Valiant Corp to trial on this, but also that if we compare our progress to theirs, our software will clearly be more complete, and better written.” 

“That’s not—” Agravaine began to say. 

“Last but not least,” Arthur interrupted, “I believe we should patent Merlin’s code as our direct line of attack against their allegations.” 

A spark began to glow in Agravaine’s eyes and a dirty grin curled on his lips. Uther seemed to contemplate this seriously. Merlin was simply gaping at Arthur, with his mouth hanging open. 

“Yes,” Agravaine said and began to laugh. “Mordred Banes. I see! We are going to corner them and expose their greatest weakness!” He stood up and slammed the table in vicious delight. “We can take advantage of this situation, Uther, and show them we have something to give back!” 

Arthur paled and looked at his uncle in shock. He couldn’t help but glance at Merlin who was staring at the table intently. _Shit_ , he thought. _He’s right_. Gwaine had been right, they really did have to work some things out. 

Uther rubbed his chin contemplatively. “I’m still unsure how a young, inexperienced software developer could have gotten into our system.” 

“I will investigate that,” Arthur said, his voice uneven. “For now, I think we need to begin the process of our own patenting as our top priority.” 

“Yes,” Uther said and stood up, stowing his laptop under his arm. “It seems you are our company’s greatest asset at this time, Mr Emrys. We will talk about this next week.”

Arthur felt the unease creep up on him when his father and uncle were leaving the meeting room. He decided that this time he would rather not wait for Merlin’s retort and left right after them. Merlin couldn’t stand the sight of him. He was angry, and Arthur was beginning to understand. If they spoke now, it would be anything but casual. 

He sped down the hallway thinking about the photo with Merlin and Gwaine at the Rising Sun. When Arthur had looked past Gwaine’s ridiculous grin, he had seen that Merlin had looked unhappy on the photo. He couldn’t bear the thought that that was because of him. He turned the corner towards his office where he promptly ran into Gwen. 

“Arthur!” Her happy voice matched none of Arthur’s inner anguish. 

“Gwen, hi,” he said. 

“I haven’t seen you all week. How was gaming?” 

“I, uh...” Arthur blinked, coming up empty. 

She folded the papers she was carrying and smiled at him. “Last weekend you said you were going to be gaming?” 

He blinked at her and it all flooded back to him. “Right,” he said. It had been their excuse. “Yeah, fun.” 

“What did you play?” Her phone began to buzz. 

Arthur racked his mind for a game title that made any kind of sense. “Until Dawn.” 

“The horror game? Oh, listen, I need to go. Are you up for drinks tonight? We’re bringing Leon along as well this time.” 

“Yes, I uh…” _Damn_ , he shouldn’t have said yes. “Gwen?” 

She paused, holding her mobile phone in her hand. 

Arthur stammered. “H-how is your father?” 

“Getting better.” She smiled and picked up the phone. “Morgana’s waiting in your office, by the way.” She held her phone against her ear and walked away.  

Arthur sighed. That was a narrow escape. He proceeded to his office, to welcome the distractions his sister would bring. 

  
  


* 

Arthur was late for drinks. He’d been late that morning, and now he was late for drinks. Merlin had originally made up his mind. Whatever they had been doing, it had to stop now. But then during the meeting, Arthur had praised him for his development skills and had elevated his status within the company as someone to be coveted. Whatever it was Merlin had felt so certain about was a jumble again.

Fortunately, he’d had plenty of distraction so far. Lance and Leon had made a bunch of jokes about a strange theatre show they had attended, which had made Gwen and him laugh. 

“You’re quiet tonight, Merlin. How’s the case going?” Lance asked, and everyone turned to regard him. 

Merlin held his tall beer stiffly between his fingers. “I think we’re making progress. As it turns out, one of my protegés at university is a little shit.” 

“This Mordred fellow?” Gwen asked. 

“Yes,” Merlin said. “But I’m not allowed to tell you any details.” 

“Damn right,” came a voice from behind. 

For some reason, probably a very stupid reason, Arthur’s arrival the bar changed the mood for Merlin completely. Where he had been defensively plotting what he would say and do, his confidence instantly bubbled away. 

Arthur greeted everyone and pulled up another chair to join their round table, seating himself across from him. Merlin mumbled his greeting and hid the rest of what he might say by plunging into his beer until he had a huge foam moustache to lick away. 

“Did you forget you were coming for drinks tonight?” Gwen asked sharply. 

“Of course not.” 

“Hit the gym?” Leon asked, pointing at the large bag Arthur had placed next to him. 

“I was invited to dinner with my father and uncle. I could hardly refuse. And this,” he said, pointing at the bag, “is my Legal homework for the coming week.” 

“Oh my god,” Leon said as he tried to lift the bag and promptly turned red in the face. “You’re actually going to read all that?” 

“I also bought a new pair of dumbbells,” Arthur said innocently. 

Leon dropped the bag. 

Gwen and Lance burst into laughter, and Merlin soon joined them. 

The evening progressed in a civil manner, with Merlin and Arthur never addressing each other. An occasional glance passed, before they both opted to speak to one of the others instead. Whatever was stuck between them remained firmly lodged in place. 

It wasn’t until the end of the evening, when Arthur headed to the restrooms, that Merlin decided to try and corner him. His bladder was full anyway. 

He joined the urinal next to Arthur and glared at him. 

“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur said as he stepped away. 

“I haven’t even said anything.” 

Arthur ran some water to wash his hands. “Well, you were doing so very loudly.” 

The muffled music from the bar was audible through the door. Merlin pursed his lips and raised a sassy eyebrow. 

“Listen,” Arthur began. “I know that… I mean…” 

Merlin interrupted him. “I don’t know what’s up with you, but just keep it casual, alright? You’ve got to lighten up. I mean, you’re my boss. It’ll never work otherwise.” 

Arthur dried his hands with a paper towel and regarded Merlin through the mirror oddly. Then he frowned and straightened his tie. “I know that.” 

Merlin bit his lip and took a step forward. “Why did you say all those things?” he demanded. 

This time Arthur looked surprised. 

“At the meeting today,” Merlin clarified. 

“Because it’s our best chance to win. And if someone stole our software—” 

Merlin grit his teeth. “You know that your father and your uncle don’t even see me as a human being, right?” 

Arthur’s brow creased but he didn’t reply. 

He took a deep breath. “Well, I’m glad that you do.” 

A flash of something crossed Arthur’s features and for just a moment he looked incredibly vulnerable. It only lasted a moment though, before he pressed his lips together and made for the door. 

Merlin didn’t know what that meant. But there was more to it than Arthur was letting on. If he was being a prat again, they would have to work that out. Sometimes he could be _such_ an arse. His mind began to ramble. What if Arthur was doing all of this to stop? What if he wasn’t going for more? Each time, Gwaine had made the initiatives. He needed to know. “What time?” Merlin asked. He needed to see Arthur’s reaction. “Your place. Tomorrow, right?” 

Arthur stopped in the door opening, the music flooding in, soon joined by the scent of alcoholic drinks. He eyed Merlin out of the corner of his eyes and licked his lips absentmindedly. “Come round at four,” he said. 

“You’re cancelling practice?” Merlin asked, raising his brows. 

This time there was room for a smile on Arthur’s face. “Certainly not,” he said cryptically and rejoined the others at the table. 

Merlin washed his hands and looked in the mirror. This would either be a terrific idea, or a terrific disaster. 

“Shit.” 


	9. Left Hanging

Gwaine arrived early. Nearly a full hour early. And on top of that, he was looking around the rooms as if trying to find Merlin. 

“I told you, he’s not here yet.” Arthur followed him around. He had dressed in dark gray suit trousers and a deep red shirt. 

“Good,” Gwaine said at last and accepted his cup of tea. “Because we have to talk.” 

Arthur pinched his brow and sat himself down on this leather couch with a creak. He had been seated at this exact spot when Merlin had kissed him for the first time, and told him… 

“I know. Don’t think I don’t. I’m terrible at this.” He said it lightly, and Gwaine’s grin told him he was spot on. 

“Good, then we can really talk. The key is to just think about something else in the meantime. Here, I showed you the new set I got, right?” 

“You just moved from reading people to buttplugs in one move,” Arthur complained, rubbing his face. 

“Okay, so, check this,” he showed Arthur a photo on his phone with the box of purple buttplugs. The second one in the row of four was missing. 

“Where’s that one?” Arthur asked. 

Gwaine simply waggled his eyebrows. “I call him Meenie.” 

Arthur shook his head and couldn’t help but break into a cheeky smile. “What happened to Eenie?” 

“I misjudged. Eenie was too small. No fun walking around with that. So next time you’re about to do something stupid, think about Meenie instead.” 

Arthur nearly choked on his sip of tea. He glanced over Gwaine’s figure. He had decided to wear a white shirt today, several buttons open at the top, hair loose, and he wore an extra necklace over his usual one. It was a good look. The idea of a purple butt plug being wedged inside of him was tantalizing in itself and sent a ripple of goosebumps down Arthur’s back. 

“You should apologise,” Gwaine said in earnest. 

“Fuck, I know,” Arthur said tensely. He wasn’t sure where his sincerity came from, or whether Gwaine’s admission of his buttplug truly stood in equal value to Arthur’s acknowledgement. 

“It’s not so much about what you did, but the way you go about it. He’s got things he wants too. You’ve _got_ to check first. I know what to ask for, so I will. But Merlin… He needs a bit of time to make up his mind, you know?” 

Arthur leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed his palms together. When Arthur had asked, Merlin had answered readily enough. He couldn’t recall how often he had replayed Merlin’s ‘fuck me, please’ in his head. It had been stuck in his mind like a broken record for the first three days at least. It intoxicated his brain and left him distracted. 

“Was it always like that?” Arthur asked at length. 

“What do you mean?” 

Arthur cleared his throat. “At university?” 

“Off and on. Just when we felt like it. You know what it’s like with men. Permanently too soon to settle. Nothing about life is certain yet. Nothing ever feels quite safe. We saw each other, and sometimes others too. Complicated, but simple, really.” 

Arthur shrugged and nodded. He sort of understood. 

“Take it easy,” Gwaine said and placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “I’m only giving you a hard time because it’s not often a threesome has a click like this. You know what I mean?” 

“As a matter of fact, I _don’t_. You dragged me into this, remember?” 

Gwaine laughed easily and leaned back with a saucy grin. “So, go on then…” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow and looked Gwaine over, wondering what he meant. He was about to speak when the doorbell went. Arthur searched Gwaine’s expression a moment longer and got up at the roll of Gwaine’s eyes. 

Racking his brain as to what Gwaine wanted, he walked to the door to open it for Merlin. The first thing he noticed was that Merlin wore a T-shirt and a hoodie, topped with a red scarf, and some loose fitting jeans, without a belt. No impossible skin-tight jeans today. The second thing Arthur noticed was the bag Merlin carried over his shoulder. 

He wanted to ask Merlin how he had passed the guard at the door downstairs, but he decided that it wouldn’t suffice as a greeting. He also considered that dragging him inside by his scarf and molesting him wouldn’t make the best impression. So, he simply stepped aside for Merlin to enter. The heat at his groin wanted action instantly, pulling at his gut with urgency. 

Arthur was losing a game of Jenga, and he knew it. At any moment everything could begin toppling down and he didn’t even understand it. “Gwaine’s here already,” he offered. 

Merlin shrugged out of his hoodie and scarf, and took off his shoes as well as his socks. “Oh, good.” 

Arthur watched and gathered that Merlin was determined not to be the last one naked this time. It sent his brain to Frankenstein mode and he rubbed his neck just to be sure. He was uncharacteristically uncertain. Should he greet Merlin in a similar way to Gwaine the other weekend, or to let Merlin say what he wanted instead. What was _casual_?! 

“What did you bring?” Arthur asked hoarsely, keeping himself in check only with the utmost effort. Mostly he was repressing his urges to grab Merlin and start doing _things_ to him.  

“Just some stuff. And a bottle of Baileys.” 

“I can put it in the fridge,” Arthur suggested and held out his hand. 

“Who says it’s for _later_?” Merlin shot back. 

Arthur felt a smile tug at his lips and he nodded stiffly. “Have it your way. I’ll get us some glasses then.” 

“Arthur?” 

He raised his brows, pretending aloofness. 

Merlin walked up to him and in one motion planted a smack of a kiss on his lips. “Relax. You’re wound way too tight.” 

A sigh escaped him and he shrugged, struggling to come up with a change of topic. Something clicked and started to make sense. At last. “I think it’s Gwaine’s turn… to tell us something he wants to do. If that’s okay with you.” 

Merlin’s eyes searched his for several moments, and Arthur felt himself nearly unravel under their scrutiny. At length, Merlin’s face lit up and he smiled. “Alright.” 

_So far so good,_ Arthur thought to himself as Merlin went over to the living room. He disappeared into the kitchen, took another deep breath and got out several glasses, filling them with ice from his fridge with the press of a button. 

“Fuck, Gwaine,” Merlin’s voice came from the living room. “I expected you to be naked by now.” 

“Can’t say the same for you. Aww, you brought my favourite!” 

“Baileys?” Merlin asked. 

“Alcohol!” 

Merlin snorted. 

“Slippery nipples it is then! All we need is Sambucca!" 

Arthur tried to loosen the knot in his shoulders and walked back with three glasses. He placed them casually on the coffee table. Then he spaced them out evenly. Then he decided they should be placed on coasters instead. All while ignoring how Merlin had taken a seat on Gwaine’s lap, one leg at each side, and was kissing him languidly, small slick noises of tongues and saliva penetrating the silence. 

He continued to pour their drinks, and was just screwing the top back on when Merlin’s T-shirt landed on his feet. He didn’t want to look. But then he also really did. He took a peek and saw Gwaine’s hand greedily kneading Merlin’s butt, as Merlin rocked against him. One of Merlin’s hands was dug into Gwaine’s shirt, playing with one of his nipples. It was a vision that made Arthur’s cock spring to life.

They certainly knew how to get started without a fuss. 

“Arthur tells me,” Merlin said conspiratorially, “that today is your day to pick. Anything you want.” Merlin looked over his shoulder cheekily at Arthur. 

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Arthur said stoically, which made the other two snicker. 

“I’ll make sure of it,” Gwaine said teasingly. “And that you’ll love every moment of it.” His eyes stole hungrily over Arthur’s body. 

Merlin took a seat beside Gwaine on the couch and reached a slender arm out to grab a drink from the coffee table. 

Arthur felt like he was trapped somehow. “Right,” he said and offered Gwaine his drink. He had to play along. That was the deal to make this work. “How do you want me?” He quickly took a sip of his Baileys to calm his insides. 

Gwaine stretched out his legs and downed half the drink in one go, before turning to Merlin. “Two minutes in the hallway and he comes back like this? I don’t know what you said to him, Merlin, but it must be magic.” 

Merlin snorted and looked self-satisfied. He glanced up through his lashes at Arthur, who was certain it meant something obscenely seductive. A throb at his groin and a shiver down his spine sent him into a state of arousal that there was no turning back from. 

“Okay,” Gwaine said lazily. “First I want you to take off your shirt, but keep your trousers on. And your watch stays on.” 

Arthur obliged and took off his shirt under the scrutiny of both men. He threw it aside and stood up straight. There was no way to hide the bulge in his trousers like this anyway. 

“Turn around,” Gwaine said and took another sip. Merlin meanwhile made himself more comfortable on the couch by pulling one leg up and resting a wrist on his knee. 

Arthur turned around and put his hands in his pockets, straining the fabric over his arse and rolled his shoulders to tense the muscles in his back, until he heard sounds of appreciation behind him. He completed his circle and gave them a challenging look, raising an eyebrow. 

Gwaine was biting his lip in appreciation and Merlin’s cheeks were rosy. 

“I love that you’re taking this seriously,” Gwaine said. “Didn’t know you had it in you.” 

“You should know me better than that,” Arthur said testily. 

“Okay,” Gwaine replied, getting up. “Then you won’t mind when I tell you to kneel.” 

Arthur frowned and stood for several moments before dropping to his knees with as much dignity as he could muster. Merlin sat upright too, his interest clearly piqued. 

“Help me undress,” Gwaine ordered, running a hand through Arthur’s hair. “Slowly. Make it erotic.” 

Arthur looked up at Gwaine, and decided to show what he was worth, down on the ground and struggling upwards. Perhaps Gwaine thought that Arthur didn’t know what that was like, to struggle and work hard for it. But he did. 

Slowly, he lifted his hands to rest on Gwaine’s thighs and moved them upwards, stretching his fingers out and occasionally groping on his way up. He moved his palms past Gwaine’s obvious arousal and instead hooked his fingers through the belt loops of Gwaine’s black washed out jeans. 

Instead of unbuckling the dark brown leather belt, he stuck out his tongue and began all the way at the bottom of Gwaine’s crotch and licked the outside of his jeans in a straight line upwards, never breaking eye-contact with Gwaine, who was staring down at him in awe. 

With his fingers, he pulled the belt and pin out of the buckle, and then he grabbed the leather with his mouth, sliding the rest of it out slowly. His hands groped across Gwaine’s hips to grab his butt, his index fingers probing until they found a solid shape. They pressed against the rubber of the plug and stirred it until a trembling gasp escaped Gwaine’s throat. 

He pulled down the zipper, and felt Gwaine place a hand on his bare shoulders, steadying himself. 

“Mmh, Merlin,” Gwaine said. “Will you join?” 

Merlin climbed off the couch, onto his knees and crawled over to Arthur. He took a seat beside him, just as Arthur pulled Gwaine’s trousers down over his legs. Gwaine’s white shirt hung loose around his hips, and his freed cock poked out once his briefs came off. 

Arthur reveled in feeling Merlin’s skin against his as they bumped shoulders. He was even more on edge when Merlin leaned in to give Gwaine’s cock a lick, and Arthur joined on the other side. 

On the coffee table Gwaine’s phone buzzed. Arthur and Merlin looked up at him, but Gwaine shook his head. “I’m not expecting any calls. Go on then. I want to see you two be so fucking gay for me.” 

Together, Merlin and Arthur lavished Gwaine’s dick with their tongues. Occasionally their lips or tongues would touch, sending ripples of pleasure through Arthur’s system. They felt Gwaine’s cock throb at the sensation. Merlin took the length of Gwaine’s flesh into his mouth greedily, while Arthur lowered his head and sucked on one of Gwaine’s balls. 

The phone buzzed a second time, at the same time Gwaine let out a vulgar moan. 

Merlin’s hands leaned on Arthur’s shoulders and pulled him close. Arthur released Gwaine’s scrotum and was pulled into a heady kiss against Merlin’s soft, wet lips. 

Gwaine reached down and picked up his phone as it buzzed a third time. 

Arthur held Merlin’s face with one hand, gently cupping his cheek, and drowned against his mouth, sloppy, wet, and passionate, almost losing himself until a voice interrupted him. 

“Shit.” Gwaine pulled his pants and trousers back up. “I’ve got to go.” 

“What?” Merlin said in surprise, breaking away and leaving Arthur hanging mid-smooch, feeling bereft. 

“I’ll explain later. Don’t stop on account of me, guys! I mean it!” Gwaine stepped into his shoes, and grabbed his coat. A moment later he was out the door. 

Suddenly, everything had changed. 

As if the spell had broken, it was just Merlin and him, and Arthur wasn’t sure what to do about that. “It sounded serious,” he said. 

Merlin stood up and took his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text him. Gwaine’s never left like that.” 

Arthur looked down. Perhaps Gwaine hadn’t been entirely truthful about the depth of their affairs at university. But they were here, Merlin and him. Now that it wasn’t a threesome any longer, their boss and employee relationship suddenly felt emphasized. 

Merlin pressed send and stared at the screen to see if the message was delivered. But he wasn’t getting a reply. 

Standing up, Arthur brushed off his knees and came to stand beside him. He put a supportive hand on the small of Merlin’s back and rubbed. “He’ll be okay. He said he’d let us know, right?” 

With a small nod, Merlin acknowledged Arthur’s words, and leaned slightly against him. 

It was all the encouragement Arthur needed. “You can stay if you want.” His hand came to rest at Merlin’s side. He definitely didn’t want Merlin to leave, that much he was certain about.  

“You sure?” Merlin asked, looking at Arthur from the corner of his eyes, lips slightly parted in a small pout. 

Arthur pulled Merlin closer, and slid his free arm around Merlin’s neck. The idea of having Merlin all for himself felt like a luxury he wasn’t ready to dismiss, for whatever reasons, right or wrong. “Anything you want,” he said and leaned in to kiss him, because he just didn’t have any more restraint left. 

  
  


* 

The three words buzzed through Merlin. He had seen Arthur wear that dark, mysterious look again. But instead of taking charge, he had given Merlin the reins. It tickled a part inside of him, that flared up hotly as he fell against Arthur’s chest, and tilted his head to deepen their kiss, adding much-needed tongue. 

They stood there, without an inch of space between their bodies, kissing and grinding gently until Merlin was breathless and his head felt light. 

“Do you mean it?” he asked. 

Arthur’s lips sought Merlin’s jaw and continued spreading soft kisses, grazing down his neck as he gave a noncommittal grunt and pulled Merlin even closer to him. 

Merlin hissed when Arthur began sucking at a soft, sensitive part on his neck. “Ahh,” he sighed, and he felt one of Arthur’s hands at the back of his neck, the other over his bum. He helplessly eyed the room, trying to muster enough focus to come up with a plan to see if Arthur stood behind his words. 

He placed his hands on Arthur’s shoulder, and felt the other reluctantly let go and step back. Merlin’s groin felt hot from their rubbing, his dick lodged awkwardly in his jeans. Arthur was staring at his neck without blinking. 

“Fuck, did you leave a mark again?” 

Arthur bit his lip and said, “Let’s put it this way, you’re going to have to wear a scarf for a couple of days at least.” 

“What about when Agravaine starts breathing down my neck! I know he will.” 

“Then he will assume you share a bed with someone. So what?” Arthur retorted and hooked his fingers through Merlin’s belt loops, pulling him just a bit closer. 

Merlin felt Arthur’s chest hair against his own, which thrilled him. He leaned back, not yet ready to give in. “But what if—” 

“Can we not talk about work? Not yet?” Arthur asked in a whisper. 

Before Merlin could remark, his ringtone sounded in his pocket. “It’s Gwaine!” Merlin said and picked up. “What happened?! Is everything alright?” he blurted into the phone. 

“Me? Yeah,” came Gwaine’s voice over the phone. “There’s a fire at my apartment building. The fire brigade saw one of my windows open. So, the landlord gave them my number, and they called me to ask if they could enter. Merlin, it’s a disaster!” 

“Your whole flat burned down?!” 

“No. My flat is fine. They took the open window when I hadn’t answered. By the time I picked up the phone, one of the firefighters had already climbed the ladder and had burst straight into my bedroom.”

“So, what’s happening now?” Arthur butted in. 

“They’re fighting the fire, I presume. The tenants are all outside. It’s all happening on the other side of the building.”

“Then what’s the disaster?” Merlin asked, pinching his brow. 

“Guys! You _know_ what! I had all my toys laid out to pick which one I would wear for the day!” 

Merlin bit his lip, and he was hardly surprised when Arthur threw his head back and laughed out loud. 

“It’s not funny!” Gwaine grumbled on the other side of the line. 

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Merlin said with a smile. Then he added, “Are you coming back?”

“Nah, nah. You guys go ahead. I meant what I said before. And Arthur, can you hear me?” 

“Yeah, mate,” Arthur said in amusement, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. 

“I’ll take you up on that offer some other time.” 

Arthur’s amusement faded and his usual frown was plastered back on his face. Merlin saw him in conflict, battling with the idea and refraining himself from saying something that would break the casual mode. After a moment Arthur said, “Then you’d better go for Miney _and_ Mo in the coming days, because when you’re done I’ll return the favour like you wouldn’t believe.” 

Merlin gaped at him, feeling a blush crawl up his neck at the filthy promise made. 

They heard Gwaine breathing on the other end of the line. “Hell yeah,” he said at last. “You’re on, mate.” 

Merlin could hear the smile on Gwaine’s face. He couldn’t help but picture the act in question, and wasn’t certain which way around he liked better. 

“You kids have fun now. I’ll let you guys know how it ends here. Cheers.” 

Merlin stared at his screen. Gwaine had hung up. He was alright. That was a relief. Well, he wasn’t entirely alright. He was certain that firefighters would have possibly seen stranger things in people’s houses before… right? Then again, if Gwaine’s collection was as large as it sounded, perhaps it would lead to some question later. 

“Poor guy,” Merlin said. 

“He’s a big guy. He can handle it,” Arthur said, and finished his glass of Baileys. 

“What about you? Can you _handle_ Gwaine’s request?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows teasingly. 

Arthur shrugged and looked away, swirling the ice cubes around in the empty glass. “Want a refill?”

“Sure,” Merlin said. And he felt cheeky, adding, “And then I think you should make up your promise to me.” He would have to show Arthur that he also wasn’t backing down from such a thing. Not when it was offered at least. 

“I should quit dealing out promises, I don’t think it’s good for my health,” Arthur complained. 

“On the contrary,” Merlin said, “I’m convinced exercise is very good for your health. I read that somewhere online.” 

Arthur lowered his head to hide a smile. “How much am I going to regret this?” 

“Not nearly as much as you think,” Merlin said and raised his hand, pointing at the door opening behind Arthur. “Unless you hate the pull-up bar.” 

Arthur turned around to look at the metal bar that was attached high in the door opening between the living room and the kitchen. “I can do that,” he said with ease. 

“Naked. Did I mention that?” 

Arthur turned away from him and walked into the kitchen. He took the bottle of Baileys out of the fridge and pointed at the pull-up bar. “Why don’t you do a few while I refill your drink and take the rest of my clothes off.” 

Merlin looked up at the metal bar. It was securely fastened. He lifted his arms and grabbed hold of it, thumbs towards him and pulled himself up until his nose was just above the bar. It was doable, though he felt the muscles in his arms tense. 

“Good,” Arthur said. “Spread out your hands a bit. And don’t forget to breathe.” 

“Might I remind you,” Merlin puffed, “that this is your task, not mine?” 

“I’ll get to that in a moment,” he said. 

Merlin grumbled inwardly. He wasn’t made for strength. He lowered himself onto the floor and spread out his hands, then did two more. The second time he lowered himself all the way, by pulling his feet behind him, knees pointing at the ground. It was harder to pull up from there, but after taking a deep breath, and gritting his teeth, he soon had his body lifted back up, knees pulled up in front of him and ankles crossed. 

Arthur came to stand close, having completely undressed— _Shit, when did he do that?!_ —and reached out to spread his knees, grabbing hold of his thighs. “Easy does it,” he said and lowered Merlin onto the ground. “My turn.”

Merlin wasn’t sure he liked the confident look in Arthur so much. He was going to be a prat about this, he just knew it. But then again, he was completely naked, and already reaching out to the pull-up bar, so Merlin couldn’t really complain. Arthur’s fingers curled around the metal with familiarity and he pulled himself up in a slow, smooth motion. When he lowered himself, all the muscles in his torso contracted as he pulled his legs forward. 

Merlin’s mouth fell open, and he took a step back. He observed the glorious vision of Arthur pulling his body higher and lowering it in controlled chin-ups, while his legs were kept out straight in front of him. And he was doing so while breathing evenly and without even breaking a sweat. His cock angled up proudly. Merlin could see each of his abs pulled taught, and ogled how his biceps changed shapes during the different angles of the straining. 

Multiple combinations of swear words crossed his mind when Arthur lowered his legs again and pulled himself up angled, to point his nose at one hand, then the other. It sent a cascade of muscles showing in his abdomen, pulling tight right over his ribs, and revealing layers of muscles on his sides and hips. Arthur’s thighs were tensed up as he held his feet behind him, knees pointing straight down. Merlin felt his brain go hazy as all the blood left and throbbed right into his dick. 

Without touching the ground, Arthur turned around and changed the grip on the bar, this time with his thumb and fingers away from him. He had his back to Merlin now and he was making a ridiculously slow move upwards, arms bulging, spine straight, and literally all the muscles on his back pushed out into crazy Rorschach shapes. Arthur offered him only one of those seductively slow shows of power, and turned around again. 

Merlin came to stand closer, trying to keep his desire off his facial expression. The minute lift of the corner of Arthur’s mouth told him that it wasn’t working as well as he hoped. Probably failing completely. 

Fortunately, Arthur wasn’t done yet. He gripped the bar again with fingers forward, with his right arm. His left hand was placed over his right bicep. 

Merlin’s eyebrows shot up as Arthur lifted his body up with only one arm, twisting his torso to adjust the muscles. He saw the strain only in the blood vessels that popped up over Arthur’s arm, and one angry one on his forehead. Somehow, Arthur was still breathing calm and controlled. Merlin inched closer until his body almost touched Arthur’s. 

“Bloody hell,” he blurted out at last. He couldn’t just let Arthur bewitch him like that. “How do you even do that?”

Arthur lowered himself to the ground and stretched his arm out in several ways, to let the muscles relax. “Well it doesn’t happen in a day.” He was visibly pleased at Merlin’s appreciation. 

Merlin fidgeted. How could he not like that? Arthur’s body was glorious from all angles. “Can you do a couple more?” 

“With two hands I can.” 

Merlin put his plan together. He had everything with him. This would be perfect, even better than planned. “Okay, close your eyes and wait here. No peeking.” 

  
  


* 

Arthur closed his eyes. “This is another favour, _Mer_ lin,” he said as he closed his eyes and heard Merlin’s footsteps retreat. A moment later Merlin was back. Arthur kept his eyes closed. He heard a zipper open that must belong to Merlin’s bag. 

“Okay, keep your eyes closed,” Merlin said in a business like tone. 

Arthur felt a blindfold being placed on his head to cover his eyes. “What’s the plan, Merlin?” 

Merlin was fiddling with something else. Opening a box, flicking something into place, or pressing a button. Arthur couldn’t tell anymore. 

“You’ll see. Well, you won’t, but… just do a few more of those, okay?” 

Arthur sighed and swung his arms up, taking hold of the metal bar again. He heard something being squirted. “No funny stuff,” he warned. 

“You’ll like it, I’m sure,” Merlin said hastily. 

Arthur sighed and gripped with his hands, pulling his body up from the floor again. When he lowered himself, he felt Merlin’s hands push his knees apart. He continued his movement until he was hanging, while Merlin folded Arthur’s legs around his hips. Arthur breathed deeply, wondering what would come. He wasn’t good with surprises. 

He felt that Merlin had undone himself of his jeans, and underwear, and that his dick was shoved with delicacy against his crack. With a small wiggle he tried to determine what Merlin’s plan was, but he couldn’t figure it out. 

“Keep going,” Merlin urged, his voice hoarse. 

Arthur lifted his body up again, and came down to rest, steadying himself with the help of Merlin’s thighs until his butt touched Merlin’s dick again. He let it rest across his crack, but no further. 

“And again,” Merlin urged, his voice more soft this time. 

Arthur strained upwards again, only this time he felt it. Something wet touched his tip and he let out a gasp. It felt slick. In an instant, he imagined Merlin’s mouth closing over his cock, and the mental image drove him to pull his body up further, tilting his hips experimentally. 

The opening was tight and slick, and Arthur felt it wring a moan from him, whether he wanted to or not. Then he lowered his body again, and his cock was released. 

“And again,” Merlin whispered, one hand firmly around Arthur’s waist, stroking his back. 

Arthur pulled himself up again, ready for the sensation once more. He tried to push up into that welcoming, wet heat. Was that Merlin’s tongue? He went deeper this time and reveled in it. His abs strained as his body moved forward, eager for more. Then he lowered himself again, and was released with a wet noise. 

“Want more?” Merlin asked him. 

“Y-yes,” Arthur stammered, fixing the grip on the bar and getting ready for another pull. 

“Alright,” Merlin said. “Go.”

Arthur pulled himself up again, and was relieved when his cock found that tight wetness again. This time it moved up and down his shaft deliciously. A gasp escaped him, as he felt his arms burn, and he moved his hips in the same motion. 

Then Merlin’s tongue began licking his nipples, which sent Arthur’s body on fire. But then he stiffened and stilled. If Merlin’s mouth was on his nipple, then what was he fucking? 

“Merlin,” he said, voice broken. His legs clenched around Merlin’s waist. 

“Relax, it’s a fleshlight. Do you like it?” Merlin moved the object up over his dick and slid it back down a few more times for emphasis. 

Arthur threw his head back and felt his hips thrust of their own accord. “Ah, Merlin, stop.” The muscles in his arms and back were beginning to complain. 

“Is it not good?” Merlin asked. He pulled the item back with an undignified plop and took Arthur’s blindfold off. 

Arthur released Merlin from the grip of his legs and lowered himself to the ground. He regarded the transparent device in Merlin’s hand curiously. It had an opening vaguely shaped like a woman’s entrance, but the way it had felt, it could be anything if you just imagined it. Merlin looked worried, so Arthur put a hand around his waist. “It felt good. Too good. I didn’t want to end that way.” 

Merlin’s eyes sparkled with some notion of Arthur’s words. “Okay,” he said. “Then you can pick something.” 

Arthur leaned forward and captured Merlin’s lips in a bruising kiss, brief and grounding, before he pulled back and whispered. “I have the perfect idea for you. Can I use the fleshlight on you?” 

Merlin’s grin said it all. 

Arthur took Merlin’s hand and led him to the bedroom. He placed Merlin in the middle of the bed and got out his top hat box with his toys. “Now, I’m going to start with this,” he said and pulled out a decently size plug. “Because while I use your new toy on you, you’ll be sucking my dick. That way it’ll be almost like a threesome, no foursome even.” 

“Holy fuck,” Merlin said. 

“Get comfortable,” Arthur said and he was satisfied to see Merlin comply reasonably well. He walked out of the room and gathered several items before returning to the task at hand. 

  
  


* 

Merlin watched as Arthur prepared. He had no idea what was coming, but the idea of the fleshlight thrilled him almost as much as the notion that Arthur had a plan for him. 

“Hold onto this with both hands, behind your head and under the pillow. If you let go, that’s my sign to stop, alright?” Arthur handed him a double ended dildo of substantial size. 

“You’re not going to hurt me are you? I’m not really—” 

“Merlin,” Arthur interrupted him gently. “I wouldn’t hurt you. Trust me, this will be something especially for you.” 

Merlin blinked at him several times, before grabbing the two cocks of the large rubber dildo and putting them behind his head as instructed. 

Arthur was looking down at him appreciatively, momentarily forgetting his task at hand and spilling cold lube all over his thigh. When he hissed, Merlin snorted at him. 

Arthur’s response was swift, when a wet finger dove down over Merlin’s balls and lower, to his opening. Merlin inhaled sharply, but it was more in response to the temperature than the move. He kept his hands firmly clasped around the dildo, and spread his legs further to give Arthur more access. 

With teasing delicacy, Arthur worked him open with a slick finger, before pressing the plug inside. He teased it in and out a few times, always watching Merlin’s expression, mouth hanging slightly open and eyes dark with passion. And Merlin looked right back at him, releasing occasional sighs and hisses when he liked or disliked something. 

“Does it feel good?” Arthur asked, as he fully pushed the plug inside. 

“Yes, it—Aahh!” Merlin hadn’t expected Arthur to go down on him as he gave his answer. Arthur’s mouth was on his cock and sucked in a slow, tight motion. Merlin’s whole body shuddered with pleasure and he nearly let go of the dildo behind his head by accident. 

“Good,” Arthur said and kissed the inside of Merlin’s thigh. 

When the plug was in place, and Merlin felt thoroughly impaled by it, Arthur came to sit beside him. His dick was rock hard and glistening with precome. In his right hand, Arthur held out the fleshlight, ready for use. 

“I want you to think of my mouth,” Arthur said, as he placed the device over the tip of Merlin’s cock. 

Merlin mewled in delight as its tight opening closed over his tip and pushed down. He could imagine Arthur’s mouth there, that wasn’t so hard. He had thought of hardly anything else since that moment in the server room. He gasped and fought against the urge of his hips to move up against it, because the plug was also firmly lodged inside of him. 

“Are you thinking about my mouth?” Arthur asked as the fleshlight slowly pulled up off him. 

“Uh-huh,” Merlin said, looking up at Arthur’s lips with hazy eyes. 

“Then show me what you think of that,” Arthur said and pushed it back down. 

Merlin moaned loudly, and instantly closed his mouth, realising how loud he was. His feet planted themselves against the mattress and he pushed his dick deeper into the device with a tilt of his pelvis. 

“This is not the time to be quiet, Merlin. Let me hear you,” Arthur said and began pumping him with the fleshlight, while leaned forward and pulled Merlin’s mouth towards his cock. 

Merlin obliged, moaning as pleasure sung through his body and his lips closed around Arthur’s shaft. He moved his head to slick it up until he got to the tip and—

“Okay, now is the time for you to be quiet. And I don’t want you to come yet.” 

“A-Arthur,” Merlin begged. He barely registered that Arthur was holding his phone in his hand, and was dialing. His eyes went wide. Dialing?! What was Arthur doing? 

“Shh,” Arthur said and pushed his cock slowly into Merlin’s mouth with a movement of his hips. He was still moving the fleshlight over Merlin’s cock as the person on the other end of the line picked up. “Hello Morgana,” Arthur said. 

Merlin nearly choked on Arthur’s dick, but one look silenced any complaint he might make. This was for real. Merlin had to be extremely quiet. But the pull of the fleshlight on his dick was increasing, and his hips were moving along with it. It pushed the plug at a favorable angle, beginning to hit the right spot. 

But Arthur had said not to come. He tried instead to focus on Arthur’s dick, moving his head as best he could, without shifting on the bed too much. He couldn’t let go of the dildo either, otherwise it would all stop. 

“I missed one of your calls earlier, so that’s why I’m calling back. Is it about dinner tomorrow?” Arthur said. His eyes were firmly fixed on Merlin and his cheeks were red. 

Merlin could hear the strain in Arthur’s voice, and definitely heard him squeeze some of the words out when Merlin took him completely in, all the way to the back of his throat. When Arthur’s hips shifted, Merlin almost moaned. He tried to swallow the motion away, and nearly choked, feeling tears at the corners of his eyes. But he wouldn’t let go of the dildo, not yet. He had been quiet so far. So fucking perfect for Arthur. 

“Well that is interesting news. And you’re sure about the time?” Arthur asked. For some reason he was still letting Merlin fuck the fleshlight, speeding up his pace until Merlin almost couldn’t hold back anymore. 

He tried to escape the fleshlight by sinking back into the blankets, to give himself some relief. But Arthur pressed down harder until Merlin let go of Arthur’s cock, to let out a loud sigh instead of a moan. Morgana couldn’t hear him. Right? Their game would be up if she did. It sent his body into a near spasm as he tried to contain his threatening orgasm. 

“Well that’s alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” Arthur said and hung up. 

Merlin was a trembling heap in the sheets as Arthur stilled the fleshlight and climbed over him. Merlin’s cheeks were wet, and his belly trembled, but he was still holding onto the dildo behind his head, still ready to go, and damned proud of that. 

Arthur stroked his cheek and leaned over to his neck, whispering, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything sexier. I want to fuck you so bad…” His voice was raw, and his hands were in fists as if he was restraining himself. 

“Please,” Merlin whimpered. 

“Let go of that thing, use your fleshlight. I want to see you use it,” Arthur said. He looked wrecked, sweat dripping from his brow, plastering his hair to his forehead. A red sheen was visible over his chest, stuck in a permanent blush. 

Merlin lowered his arms gratefully, holding the dildo in his left hand and grabbing hold of the fleshlight with the other. He felt how Arthur’s hands trailed down over his body, fingers digging into his flesh and his bones until Arthur squeezed his thighs roughly and ended at the plug. Gently, the plug was released. 

“You—you’re clean, right?” Merlin said. “Cause I want you to…“ His voice trailed off and he swallowed. 

“I am. I’m clean. Jesus, tell me you want it again,” Arthur said, lifting Merlin’s legs up and placing himself in between. 

Merlin shivered when he felt the tip of Arthur’s dick at his hole. He couldn’t wait anymore. “Arthur, _come on_ , fuck me already. I need… I need it.” 

With a strangled grunt, Arthur pushed inside of him, holding his arse cheeks in his hands, spreading him open. Then he waited. 

“Jesus, fuck, Arthur, please, I’m ready, I’m so ready.” 

And Merlin watched as Arthur fell apart, something predatory taking over his features as he thrust his hips forward, slamming into Merlin with force. 

Merlin felt his body rock with the impact, and used the rhythm to match it with the fleshlight. It made wet, slurping noises around his cock as he jerked himself off with it, increasing his speed just as Arthur did. His breath came hitched, and his heart was thudding in his chest. Pleasure was building up fast. So close. He needed just a bit more. 

Arthur groaned and watched Merlin’s cock slide in and out of the device. His hips slapped against Merlin’s legs with increasing urgency. Just at the right spot for Merlin now. So perfect. So fucking perfect. He threw his head back and cried out, cock trapped inside the fleshlight and Arthur’s dick jamming against his nerves again and again. He came with staggering force, ripples of white-hot pleasure soaring through him. 

He didn’t even register that he was shouting until several moments later when he looked down again and saw Arthur’s expression. He was positively _wild_. 

Merlin had one more thing to offer Arthur. He lifted his left hand, with the double ended dildo and tilted his head to the side. He stuck the rubber dick into his mouth and gave Arthur a seductive look, spent on pleasure and ready to give Arthur everything of him that was left to give. 

“Oh, God, nngh, _Merlin_ ,” Arthur moaned right as his hips shifted, stuttered, and all his body strained as he slammed against him so powerfully it rocked Merlin’s body over the bed, nearly pushing his head against the headboard. It took five deep, shuddering groans from Arthur to be done. 

Merlin pulled the fleshlight away just in time for Arthur to collapse against him. He felt both Arthur’s heartbeat against his skin, as well as his own in reply, at their exertion. Arthur slipped out of him and rolled them over, holding him tight. He closed his eyes and held on. 


	10. Metamorphosis

Arthur awoke with a start to a snore right at his ear. His shock apparently also woke Merlin. He glanced sideways at the clock. Nearly six-thirty. Apparently they had fallen asleep for close to half an hour, both of them. 

“Sorry,” Merlin said drowsily. 

Arthur’s body was struggling to comply with moving at all. “‘S’all right. Me too.” 

Merlin sluggishly rolled off him and groaned, palming his eyes. 

“I’ll order in,” Arthur said simply and picked up his phone. 

“I’m staying?” Merlin asked in the middle of a yawn. 

Arthur stared at him and something inside of him moved and bubbled at the very image of Merlin entirely unguarded and comfortable. “Yes?” He knew he had to play it casual. 

“Okay,” he said with a soft voice and picked up the fleshlight. “I’ll take a shower and wash this thing first.”

Fifteen minutes later, as Arthur was just done with his turn in the shower, Merlin entered the bathroom without a knock, fully dressed again, excitedly showing Arthur his phone. 

“I got another message from Gwaine! Take a look,” he said with a grin. 

Arthur was just done drying his balls and leaned over. Gwaine had sent a photo of himself with one of the firefighters, faces squished together for a selfie. The text beneath it read ‘ _Guess who is a bartender at night, and volunteer firefighter during the day!_ ’

“Isn’t this that guy from the Rising Sun?” Arthur asked, studying the friendly face beside Gwaine’s. 

“Yeah, it is,” Merlin said, scrolling through the rest of the text messages. “Apparently he’s the firefighter that went into his room. He hasn’t said a word to his colleagues about Gwaine’s toy collection, but they started talking and…”

“I thought he didn’t do one-night stands,” Arthur wondered aloud. 

“Well, they just exchanged phone numbers, that’s all for now.” Merlin looked excited. 

Arthur grinned. “You’re happy for him, aren’t you?” 

“Well, you know, that guy’s totally up his alley,” Merlin said. 

“What do you mean?” 

Merlin scratched the back of his neck and looked down, brows knotting. “Well, frankly, between you and me… you’re his type, you know?” 

Arthur paused running the towel over his hair and looked up. “What?” 

Merlin was regarding him from the corner of his eyes with a small smile. “That surprises you?” 

He shrugged. “I thought… at university…” 

Pocketing his phone, Merlin leaned against the sink. “That was just for fun. He went with me because of the things I like. It was easy. And at other times, he chased the hunks through the school…” 

“Shit,” Arthur said. He’d totally misunderstood the relations between them, between the three of them even. 

“Yeah, well,” Merlin said uneasily. “He’s just not really into… twinks.”

“What? You are _not_ a twink, Merlin.” Arthur hung up his towel angrily, which it certainly didn’t deserve after drying his balls so perfectly.

“Then what?”

“Listen to me,” Arthur said, getting pissed off. “You don’t look like a boy. You are a man.” 

Merlin rolled his eyes. “I haven’t got much to offer, really.”

“Besides being smart, funny, and incredibly talented?” Bright red warning bells were going off in Arthur’s brain, shouting _Not Casual! Not Casual!_ “You don’t need to fit into a category.”

“Easy for you to say in all your naked masculinity,” Merlin said, gesturing wildly at him. 

Arthur stepped towards him and cupped his face. “Why this insecurity? You are _refined_.” And when Merlin scrunched his face up in scrutiny, Arthur added, “Look, less than an hour ago, I was balls deep inside of you and there was nothing else I could see but you.” 

Merlin pressed his lips together and ended up snickering. “I think that’s both the best and worst thing you’ve ever said.” 

Arthur let his face go in favour of a headlock, knuckling his hair. Merlin complained loudly and struggled to get free, but Arthur held him for a moment longer. “That’s what you get for not appreciating my compliments.” He released him and reached for his pile of clothes. “Better?” 

Grudgingly, Merlin straightened his hair, but there was colour on his cheeks again and a stupid smile stuck on his face. 

“Now will you let me get dressed?” Arthur said with a chuckle. 

“I’m letting you,” Merlin said with his hands in the air, but he didn’t leave the room. 

Arthur smirked at him as he continued getting dressed and took his time. He enjoyed Merlin’s eyes on him. And Merlin didn’t leave until he was completely dressed. 

  
  


* 

Later, when they were done with dinner, they sat together on the couch with topped-up glasses of Baileys. Merlin was drinking faster than Arthur, who didn’t really seem to have a taste for it. Perhaps it didn’t mix well with Indian food, or maybe there was something else on his mind. He was often moody, but lately even more. 

“Gwaine’s going to be so pissed when we tell him all he missed,” Merlin offered with a crooked grin, doing his best to keep the mood light. He didn’t want anything spiraling out of control. 

He still needed to go to work on Monday and be motivated, and keep all of this separate. He wasn’t certain how well that was panning out so far, not if Arthur ignored him for days at a time. He wasn’t even sure how all of this even got started. 

“I’m sure,” Arthur said. “How much do you reckon you can strike off your bucket list after tonight?” 

Ah, that was it. “Hell, I don’t even know.” He would have to open his phone and check his To-Do list app, which kept his hidden kinky wishlist. He was sure he could strike a fair few off by now. 

“We need to talk,” Arthur said. He wasn’t meeting his eyes, but staring off into the distance instead. 

Merlin had a bad feeling about this. When Arthur wanted to talk, it was usually to set something straight in the way that he envisioned it, leaving no room for interpretations or even for second guesses. That is how he ruled his department as well. The best thing was usually to first say yes, and then point out any issues later, after meetings or presentations were over. 

But this time, Arthur was different. He wasn’t strutting around like a peacock. His shoulders were slumped and he was clenching his jaw as if speaking were difficult. He looked breakable. Merlin leaned back against the couch and stayed quiet. 

“What I did in the server room… I shouldn’t have done that.” 

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Why bring that up?” 

Arthur rubbed his hands against his trousers. “You said it yourself. My father doesn’t see you as a person, but I do and…” 

“Oh God, would you stop?”

“I’m _trying_ to apologise,” Arthur said and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Well how about you apologise for not talking to me for three whole days when I needed your help on the case,” Merlin shot back. He felt awkward suddenly for addressing Arthur that way. He had been letting his guard down. It would have felt right with Gwaine here, but now Merlin wasn’t so sure.  

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “Yeah, I should have.” And they were quiet for a minute, before Arthur said. “So, you’re not mad about _that?_ ” 

Merlin shifted in his seat and scratched his jaw. “No,” he said, remembering the pure filth Arthur had whispered into his ear. It had annoyed him that Arthur had figured him out so perfectly. And he hadn’t had orgasms shattering his whole being like this before. Somehow, Arthur had got under his skin. 

He glanced sideways to find Arthur giving him a hopeful look. It looked so fragile that he decided a change in topic was due. 

“Why don’t you want anything done to you? Like what Gwaine asked?” Merlin asked. It was so different to see Arthur like this, compared to when Gwaine was around. His defences were down and Merlin almost felt he could ask him anything. 

Arthur took a sip of Baileys and made himself more comfortable on the couch. “I just don’t see it as something for me.” 

“But you’re going to do it, aren’t you?” Merlin pressed. He felt it was due, especially with all the weirdness Arthur had caused, and Gwaine’s abrupt departure. 

Arthur shrugged, his walls closing up again and he leaned an arm on the back of the couch. He stared off somewhere into the room. “For Gwaine, perhaps.”  

Merlin stared at him. “What, as in, opposed to me?” 

Brows knotted, Arthur responded to his imaginary spot on the wall. “I still have to look you in the face on Monday,” he said as if that explained all. 

Gawking, Merlin put his drink down on the coffee table and scoffed, “And I _don’t_?” 

“That’s different, Merlin, and you know it.” 

“What, because I’m not the boss? Because I’m not big and bulky? Or because you don’t think I can do it?” Merlin said heatedly. If Arthur couldn’t separate their relations at work, or think of him as capable of that, then he was an even bigger prat than he let on. 

“Because,” Arthur began angrily, then calmed himself. “It wouldn’t be the first time he did. And even that was uncommon for me.” 

Merlin bit back his retort and simply glared. He wasn’t ready to give in to this conversation. He was sure Arthur had insulted him. And yet, if it wasn’t his thing, then it wasn’t. But if Gwaine got to do it, and not him, that didn’t feel right. He couldn’t see why it mattered, but it did. 

“How did you get past the doorman anyway?” Arthur asked, changing topics again. 

Merlin studied his hands. “I talked to the doorman last time too. Today I told him I left some video games behind. Not that hard if you treat people like _humans_ , you know.” 

Arthur got up and walked to the kitchen without a word. 

Perhaps he had gone too far, Merlin thought to himself miserably. Perhaps Arthur’s revelation had more to it than Merlin gave it credit for. He was left by himself for several minutes before he decided to get up and follow him. The casual approach was always best. Gwaine had taught him that. And Merlin was determined. 

He caught Arthur in the kitchen, putting plates into the dishwasher with one hand, and brushing his teeth with the other. 

It felt like a slap in the face. He didn’t understand why, but it did. Arthur had just decided that the evening was over, when Merlin wasn’t done talking yet. And yet, watching Arthur at work, placing empty cups upside down into the rack, had something simple to it, that had nothing to do with any of their increasingly complicated relationship, well, work-relationship, really. 

Arthur looked up to him, innocently blue-eyed and visibly tired. 

Merlin couldn’t hate him for what he said, not when he looked like that, toothbrush sticking out sideways and all. Whatever he had gone to say died in his throat. 

Moving slowly, Arthur passed him to get to the bathroom, and when Merlin followed he heard Arthur rinse his mouth. It wasn’t until he spotted the damned guest toothbrush on the corner of the sink that he made his decision. 

“I’m going to head home. I’ll see you Monday.” 

Without another word he left, pretending he didn’t see the disappointment in Arthur’s eyes. How had this evening gone so horribly wrong? 


	11. Inside Job

Arthur had brought lollipops to work. He had to keep his mind on the case, and would be working late. The lollipops were there, perched in an empty tea cup on his desk, to keep his mind on work. And from straying to Merlin. He hadn’t answered Merlin’s text on Sunday where he apologised for being rude. 

He hadn’t, because he didn’t bloody understand it. 

And no matter how he twisted the question in his head, asking Merlin what he meant just seemed the opposite of casual. So, in the end, he decided that not answering the text would be more casual than anything. 

At least he had some good news for him. He typed Merlin a lengthy email about his conversation with Morgana that had started Saturday afternoon. Apparently, Uther had ordered IT to work during the weekend to filter through email conversations, finding out whether anyone had exchanged emails with Valiant Corp, or otherwise with Mordred Banes. And they had found one person who had sent out several emails. 

It was a soft lead, but something to go on. He typed it to Merlin, hit send, and almost instantly saw a new message pop up from him. 

Merlin’s email was an angry one, full of vile spewing. For a second, Arthur paled and felt his mouth turn dry. But then, as he read on, he saw it was about something completely different. As it turned out, Merlin had received a recruitment email from Valiant Corp, offering him a position as Lead Software Engineer against a highly competitive salary. 

The end of Merlin’s email read: 

_This has to be a bloody joke! If they even think for a second that I would do this!_

_JC!_

_Merlin Emrys_

_Systems Engineer_

_Pendragon VR_

Arthur stared at the screen. At the letters J and C. Was it Jesus Christ? Or Just Casual?! His brain was overclocking and about ready to give out when Lance walked in. Arthur closed the email and returned to some form of feigned normality, so that they could discuss the discovered email correspondence. Arthur managed to behave himself… until lunch. 

He went early, so that he could avoid the queues and get back to work quickly. When he was halfway done with his meal, he spotted Merlin waiting in line together with the other developers. Merlin was holding his phone out and typing, occasionally shooting glances in Arthur’s direction. Everything was fine. Nothing strange. Arthur was just finishing his last bite when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Merlin. 

_I’m going commando today_

Arthur promptly forgot that inhaling food was, in general, a bad idea, and he ended up coughing his lungs out. Within the span of two minutes he was offered at least two bottles of water and a coke by several colleagues from various departments who seemed to think offering the CEO’s son a drink could get them in a good light. 

Merlin, on the other hand, looked disgustingly pleased with himself from across the room. 

The room seemed a zillion degrees warmer, and Arthur got up, leaving the rest of his lunch. He escaped the stuffy cafeteria, feeling like a zebra casually running from lions so that its stripes would do the work, and aimed for the relative safety of the hallway savanna. 

He was so not keeping his cool. Everything was crumbling down. There was no way he could keep it together knowing that Merlin… Perhaps it was an invitation. A challenge? Or a test to see if Arthur could stay away.  

He would have liked to stay away, but when he sat down at his desk again and opened his computer, the fates had intervened once more. Agravaine had booked an afternoon meeting with a red exclamation mark in the invitation email. That meant no excuses. _Bloody hell._

By the time the meeting was about to begin, Arthur had had the most unproductive day in history. He had finished three lollipops while he was fighting the heat inside of him bubbling up—thinking about Gwaine and Meenie wasn’t helping much, or at all, in fact—and was now suffering a serious sugar rush as he listened to Agravaine drone on about the new patenting processes. 

They were seated in the boardroom again. Uther had his laptop out and was typing, occasionally commenting on something Agravaine said. Merlin was seated on Agravaine’s left side, sending _looks_ Arthur’s way, which left him hot and bothered. Meanwhile, Arthur couldn’t escape being his uncle’s sole receptacle for an utterly boring summary of a particular niche of legislation that he had never heard about before. 

“I have some news too,” Arthur interrupted and sat upright once Agravaine had paused for more than exactly 1.5 seconds to breathe. “Morgana and I talked this weekend. We have intercepted an email conversation between Mordred Banes and one of our colleagues here at Pendragon VR. She works in Morgana’s division, and was hired two days after the open day for interns, which was when Mordred Banes entered our office. 

“As it turns out, it’s Kara Wilde who sent him an email with an attachment, asking him if this was what he was looking for. The mail was permanently deleted from the mailbox within hours, and wiped from the mailserver, but still existed in some archive that Morgana had the crew look at during the weekend. We’re assuming that the attachment might be the build that Mordred seems to have gotten his hands on.” 

Agravaine’s laugh was one of malicious glee. “Oh, that is great! We need all possible blackmail material we can get! If she thinks she can backstab us without getting stabbed back, then she doesn’t know the metal we’re made of. We will sue her and destroy her career!” 

Arthur was glad he was on his uncle’s side, however uncomfortable he felt at his dangerous utterances. He shot a questioning look at Merlin, who was staring at him intently. Agravaine had a point. He felt his eyebrow twitch nervously in response until Uther shook him out of it. 

“Arthur, you are to gather any further evidence you can on Miss Wilde’s attachment to Mordred Banes. Any compromising photographs together, anything you can add to strengthen the case online. Use overtime if necessary. We must additionally use this to support her immediate termination within this company.” 

“Uther,” Agravaine said, “I would advise caution. Let us keep them both unaware of our find, until we call Kara as a witness.” 

“Yes,” Uther said. “With caution. Arthur, next week you will fly out and meet Zhao Wei Tech in Beijing on Tuesday. I will forward you the details of your meeting there.” 

“What?” Arthur asked. “The court date is at the end of that week!” 

“I need you to talk to a new investor about branching out. We don’t want budget cuts coming up after this court case, in case it fails.” 

“It won’t fail, Uther,” Agravaine said with confidence.

Uther continued, undeterred, “I don’t doubt for a moment that Valiant Corp isn’t making their very own plans as we speak. They have the legal property documentation already signed, and they have part of the code. The only thing they don’t have is Merlin Emrys.” 

“They won’t,” Arthur said before Merlin could speak. “They can keep trying to send him offers, but Merlin isn’t going anywhere. He belongs right here.” 

At this, Uther paused. “They have sent you an offer?” He directed it right at Merlin. 

“They have. I have not responded and I don’t intend to.” 

“Forward it to me,” Uther said simply and gave Arthur a sour look before getting up to leave. “This case is getting out of control. Contain it, Agravaine.” 

“Yes, Uther,” he said and packed his papers. 

Merlin got up and hoisted his trousers ever so slightly. Arthur saw it from the corner of his eyes and felt a hot flash surge through his body. He wasn’t going to be able to concentrate. Not like that. 

“Thank you, uncle,” Arthur said, distractedly, and left in a hurry. 

  
  


* 

After chomping into another lollipop and chewing the sticky, sweet candy, Arthur did his best to make the end of the day count. It was late now, and most people would be well on their way home. 

He busied himself preparing the case for China, which was a pleasant distraction from the IP lawsuit. Uther wasn’t a people person, but sometimes his decisions were exactly what was needed. Arthur felt calm and collected, working on formulas in Excel, when the door to his office opened. 

He didn’t look up until one of his lollipops was taken out of the cup at the corner of desk. 

“What are you doing here, Merlin?” 

Merlin fiddled with the wrapper and walked past Arthur, over to the windows, which were just around the corner at the back of the office. There was a sitting area with two large chairs and a coffee table. Merlin finally freed the lollipop from the wrapper and made an obscene sucking noise. 

Arthur hit the save button and locked his desktop, turning his chair slowly. Merlin was leaning against the wall, just out of sight from the door to his office, with his lush lips curled around the stick, sucking on the lolly until his cheeks turned hollow. 

Fuck, if Arthur wasn’t hard in his trousers already. 

He got up, chair rolling back with force, and stalked him until he had him pressed flat against the wall. “You little shit,” he said. 

Merlin grinned in response, eyes crinkling up in the corners, and took the lollipop out, sticking it into Arthur’s mouth without warning. “I thought we had a case to work on,” he said innocently. The shift of his hips indicated something else entirely, though, and Arthur knew he was being thoroughly seduced. 

Arthur swore around the lollipop and pushed his fingers into Merlin’s trousers without further hesitation. Merlin really had gone commando that day. The very idea did _things_ to Arthur’s belly. He stroked Merlin’s cock until it was hard. The soft, glazed look Merlin gave him in response to this treatment drove all thoughts of propriety completely out the window. 

He felt Merlin’s slender fingers seek out his nipples through his shirt, pinching them cruelly, and sending shots of pleasure to Arthur’s groin. Until Arthur moaned aloud, and the fingers disappeared. 

“Shh,” Merlin said, pleased, and took the lollipop back. “Door’s not locked for real today.” 

Arthur couldn’t care. He was wound up and he had to have Merlin. He pulled Merlin’s jeans down enough to free his cock. He leaned against Merlin, pinning him to the wall and buried his head against Merlin’s neck. He breathed in his scent possessively. Merlin’s fingers lowered his zip, pushed down his boxer shorts, and pulled his dick out. 

“Fuck, we can’t do this,” Arthur said, as he kissed up Merlin’s neck and licked his earlobe. 

“Why not?” Merlin asked, his voice no more than a breath against Arthur’s ear. 

Arthur sighed, thoughts utterly muddled by the thick, curdling passion running through his veins, as he took both their dicks in hand and started stroking them together. He reveled in the feeling of Merlin’s hard length against his own, their skin easily rolling up and down over their heads as he jerked them off together. “Because…” He pressed his thighs forward, locking Merlin’s hips firmly against the wall with his own, his fingers tight around the both of them. 

Merlin’s head leaned back against the wall with a thud and he put his hands on Arthur’s shoulders to steady himself as he began fucking up into Arthur’s hand. 

The door to Arthur’s office opened with a loud bang and someone took two steps inside, heels clicking. “Arthur?” 

It was Morgana’s voice. 

Arthur’s eyes widened and he put himself back into his trousers instantly. He put his finger in front of his mouth, signalling for Merlin to remain completely quiet, and dug into his pocket for his phone, fingers trembling. As he got his phone out, tangled headphones and all, his handkerchief fell out with it. Merlin grabbed it quickly before it fell. 

“Arthur?!” Morgana sounded more urgent, stepping forward upon hearing rustling. 

“Yes, excuse me, I’m going to have to ask you to hold,” Arthur said in a business-like tone, as he put one of the headphone buds into his ear, holding his phone in hand, and stepped out. “What is it, Morgana?” 

He tried to look businesslike, to pretend not to be completely disheveled. He hoped that in the evening light, the sheen on his swollen lips wouldn’t show, and that his jacket hid his bulge. And he prayed that Merlin had the sense to stay out of sight. 

Morgana looked him over critically for a few long moments. Then she stepped forward and handed him a file. “These are the documents on Miss Wilde that you asked for. I shall be sorry to see her go, she’s on top of her game.” 

“Thank you, Morgana. Perhaps she was a good fit in your department, despite what she did at the very beginning.” 

“Whatever. I expect a proper replacement once she is gone. No interns this time, alright? Talk to Uther. Or else I will.” 

“I understand,” Arthur said dismissively and held up his phone, “Now if you don’t mind.” 

“Sure, little brother,” she said and her heels clicked as she headed for the door. “I’m heading out anyway. Don’t eat too many lollipops, Arthur. I remember nanny only brought those around when you were stressed. Find some way to unwind. See you tomorrow.” 

“Right. Oh, and Morgana,” Arthur said, stalling her. “If you go downstairs and run into Merlin, tell him to hurry up and come upstairs. We still need to go over the case.” If Arthur heard a slight muffle around the corner, where Morgana couldn’t see Merlin, he didn’t show it. 

“Of course. I would rather hope he takes this seriously.” 

“I’m sure he does. See you tomorrow.” He nodded to her and mock-pressed a button on his phone. “Yes, sorry to keep you waiting.” He returned to the sitting area around the corner, and heard the door click shut. 

Merlin was a whimpering puddle of happiness against the wall, Arthur’s handkerchief folded around the tip of his cock, held tightly to prevent any cum dripping out. His jeans barely hung on his slender hips. And he had managed to stay quiet all the while. 

The fact that Arthur’s conversation with Morgana had driven Merlin to climax was almost too much for Arthur to handle. He shrugged out of his jacket, as he watched Merlin fold the dry parts of the handkerchief around as much of the mess as possible. Arthur took the package from him and pocketed it. 

Merlin squawked minutely at the gesture, still mute after his sensual ordeal, lips parted, and a line of shadow under his cheekbones. 

“It’ll wash,” Arthur said hoarsely, his eyes drinking him in. “Fuck, Merlin, what you do to me…” He tried to ignore what his confession meant by leaning in for an open-mouthed kiss, lapping at Merlin’s mouth filthily and getting at least that much passion back from him. And he was rock-hard, throbbing, and in serious need of some attention to his cock. 

However, Arthur paused and pulled back from their kiss. This would be such a bad idea. He wanted to ask Merlin to stop. He planned to, honestly. But when Merlin sank to his knees and started to unbutton his trousers, he really had no more resistance to give. 

Arthur pressed his lips together and tried not to moan aloud when his cock was freed, or when Merlin held it between his fingers, or when he closed his lips around it. 

“Holy hell,” he breathed when Merlin took him all the way in. His hand flew to Merlin’s hair to slow him down. Strong fingers curled through thick, black locks, and stroked his scalp and his ears. He found himself soothing Merlin, in his pursuit of calming himself down. 

But Merlin was having none of that. He kept looking up at Arthur and bobbed his head energetically, lips tightly around his cock. He played with his tongue over the head, and went for the long slow envelopment again. Arthur felt entirely overheated, his brain functions reduced to zero, as he gave in to the pleasure, thrusting forward, cautiously at first, but with more urgency as Merlin sped up together with him. 

Sweat dampened his armpits, and he leaned against the wall with one hand, while still holding onto Merlin’s hair with the other. His breath came in quick gasps, until without warning, Merlin grabbed Arthur’s hips and held him tightly, taking him in more and more, until at last his whole cock was enveloped, pressed all the way against the deepest part of Merlin’s throat, sending Arthur into a state of delirium. 

“Ah yeah, ah yeah,” he said, threw his head back, and within the next few thrusts came powerfully, with thick throbs, shivering and whimpering, at the back of Merlin’s throat. As he pumped, Merlin swallowed his cum down beautifully, and sent him into a state of bliss. 

The next minute or two were lost to him. He found himself sort of dressed again, fiddling with a cufflink. He watched Merlin pour himself a drink from the bottle of water on Arthur’s desk and drink it. A shiver ran down his body from the intensity as he came down from his fuddled state and reality hit him, sharp and hard. 

Merlin had come onto him at the office and he hadn’t held back. He had shown no resistance whatsoever. And he had loved every moment of it, even when this clearly existed outside their casual zone of threesomes, and was far more dangerous than their encounter in the server room. 

And there was nothing he’d ever wanted more. 

He took the glass of water out of Merlin’s hand and finished it himself, then put the glass on the desk. “No more commando,” Arthur said. 

Merlin tsked and tried to keep his face straight. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle it?” 

As a matter of fact, he could not. “And what do you think will happen if we get caught, Merlin?” Arthur said. 

Merlin’s smile disappeared. “I’d get fired?” 

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. “Wrong. I would.” 

“But… I did this,” Merlin said, exasperated. “The board can’t fire you. You’re Uther’s son!” 

“That’s exactly why they will. You’re the key programmer of our company’s core software. First, they can cut me out, not you. Second, my father’s never been a forgiving sort. Third, he knows nothing about me, about any of this. And last, in a tribunal I would be the one abusing my position as the senior member of staff.” 

“Then this has to stop?” Merlin asked cautiously, glancing from the corner of his eyes. 

Arthur didn’t want it to stop. He really didn’t. But he also didn’t know where they stood. If Merlin was up for it, then he was too. And that was the truth of it. Perhaps there was another way out. “No,” he breathed. “We just have to be more careful, I guess.” 

“So, why does that mean I have to start wearing pants?” Merlin asked with cheek. 

Arthur undid the fiddly cufflink of his right sleeve, red and gold, embossed with a small Pendragon sigil, and held it in his hand. “What do you mean _start_?” 

“Well…” There was a blush on Merlin’s cheeks. 

“Oh, God. Not helping,” Arthur said, mirroring the redness in his face. “Hold out your hand,” Arthur said. He placed the cufflink into Merlin’s hand. “Tomorrow, no more commando. Wear this on your pants.” 

“Pin it on there?” Merlin asked owlishly. 

“Yes. Show me you belong here. Point it out to me somehow. I’ll know,” he added huskily. 

Merlin took it. “Whatever you say, boss.” And he gave Arthur a shit-eating grin. 

Arthur chuckled. They still had to be very, very careful, going on from here.


	12. Double Trouble

Tuesday was as bad as Monday. No matter how much Arthur resisted, and he _was_ trying, everything was working against him. 

Early morning, he found the discarded lollipop on the ground by the wall in his office, where Merlin must have dropped it. 

When Arthur went to get coffee, they had passed each other in the hallway and Merlin had held his hand in his pocket, index finger clearly pointing at a spot beside his groin. Arthur had felt the serious need of a cold shower after that. 

Gwaine’s texts weren’t helping either. During coffee break, Arthur read Gwaine’s latest message. He was wearing Miney today, and had added several winky faces. He also mentioned that he had been informed about their little office escapade and called Arthur a ‘saucy muffin’, whatever that meant. 

Then, an hour later, after Arthur returned from a meeting with Morgana, Merlin stepped into the elevator with him, and the two of them ended up alone. As the elevator set in motion, Arthur felt the temperature rise. He held his laptop in one hand and reached out with the other. 

Merlin simply fixed him with one of his intense stares, as Arthur’s finger felt the front of his jeans to locate the cufflink. 

His fingers slid over the fabric, to the location where Merlin had pointed to earlier, until he stumbled upon a small, round shape, right beside his crotch. 

Merlin gasped sharply, and his cheeks went scarlet at their silent intimacy. 

Arthur’s fingertips circled the cufflink in slow, seductive motions, and he watched the various expressions across Merlin’s face. It was clear that Merlin was intensely enjoying their secret. 

The elevator slowed, dinged, and Arthur pulled his hand back instantly. 

Pulling his hoodie over his head, Merlin stepped out just as two executives entered, and Arthur held his laptop in front of him strategically. 

He was wound up again, and none of the words of caution they had exchanged the day before mattered. He needed Merlin, as well as his cheek. It was all he could think about. 

So Arthur booked the boardroom over lunch hour for an urgent meeting, locked the door, pushed Merlin onto the meeting table where they had sat so often recently, and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. 

Merlin obliged willingly, pushing the projector out of the way and lifting his legs for Arthur to help him take his jeans off. They ended up staring at each other passionately, sharing heavy breaths, and rubbing their groins together deliciously. It was a good thing the boardroom didn’t have glass panes. It was entirely private, and shielded from the outside world by blinds. 

“Christ, what are we doing?” Arthur asked aloud, his hands halfway up Merlin’s bright red Marvel T-shirt. 

“Don’t think too much, it’ll rot your brain.” Merlin sighed when Arthur leaned down and pulled at the cufflink with his teeth. 

“Did you bring something?” 

“Left pocket,” Merlin said, wiggling out of his T-shirt. 

Arthur found a condom and a small tube of lube in Merlin’s discarded jeans. “How did you know to bring his?” 

“Are you kidding?” Merlin took off his pants and tossed them into Arthur’s face. “You’re wilder than a cat in heat.” 

“Fuck,” Arthur swore. 

“My sentiments exactly.” Merlin reached over and undid Arthur’s belt and fly, while Arthur opened the packet in a hurry. 

“How do you… Can I?” 

“Yes, God, yes, Arthur,” Merlin said, winding his legs around Arthur’s waist. 

Arthur put the condom on and squirted lube onto his fingers, working his hand down nervously. There were voices in the hallway, and even though people were just walking past, and the door was locked, his nerves were on fire. 

“Aahhnn,” Merlin sighed aloud, until Arthur stuck a pen between Merlin’s teeth and held a finger to his mouth to be silent. Merlin’s hands stroked over Arthur’s arms, up and down, gripping occasionally when Arthur needed to slow down. 

“Shhh,” Arthur shushed gently, as he worked him open. His other hand held on to Merlin’s hardening length, stroking with slow intent. He loved the feel of Merlin’s legs around him, and hearing his small sighs, as he worked Merlin’s cock up and down. He couldn’t believe they were doing this. Arthur worked him open gently, not wanting to hurt him or cause any distress, but withholding himself was harder than usual. 

They heard familiar voices in the corridor, this time of Lance and Gilli walking past, and one of them mentioned Merlin’s name. Merlin tossed his head and Arthur knew that he was ready. 

He pushed in, even though they hadn’t had much time to prepare, and Merlin arched his back off the table. 

“You know, they’ll start looking for you,” Arthur whispered, leaning over Merlin and kissing his sternum, collarbones, and up into his neck. His dick, sliding neatly into Merlin’s body, throbbed with tense pleasure, aching for more, but he didn’t give in yet. 

“Nngh.” Merlin bit his lip. His hands came up to Arthur’s shoulders, stroking his skin, holding onto him for stability and, possibly, sanity. 

Slowly Arthur moved out and back in again, hands steady on Merlin’s thighs, holding him stable. “They will ask where you’ve been, why you abandoned them at lunch.” He did another slow thrust, this time sliding all the way in. Merlin was tight, hot, and utterly gorgeous, splayed out beneath him on the table. “And later this week, we’ll be having another meeting right here.” 

“Jesus, Arthur,” Merlin sighed, tossing his head and grabbing Arthur’s hair. “Shut up and fuck me.” The pen had rolled from his mouth and wobbled obscenely on the table beside them. 

Arthur didn’t need to be told twice. He sank his teeth into the soft flesh of Merlin’s neck, right over the spot he had created before, and sped up. His cock splitting Merlin in two, pliant as he was on the boardroom table, and his balls slapped sweetly against Merlin’s ass over and over. 

Merlin reached down to help himself as Arthur was lost to pleasure, growling until Merlin shushed him, hearing Merlin’s whimper until he shushed him back. They were both at the very edge of the purest indulging pleasure, and Arthur came first this time, suddenly, muffling his cry against the crook of Merlin’s neck. 

“Don’t stop, don’t stop, please,” Merlin cooed into his hair, and he sank his teeth into the top of his ear. 

Arthur’s ear felt hot from the bite, and he kept going, just a few more pushes, for Merlin, until he heard him suck in a breath and felt him tremble and still beneath him. 

Slipping out ever so gently, Arthur removed the condom and took out a pack of pocket tissues, wrapping it up, before wordlessly offering Merlin some tissues as well. Merlin sat up on the desk, wearing nothing but his socks, and spent a few moments cleaning himself up. 

The looked at each other, and they both acknowledged what they just did. Arthur couldn’t help but grin helplessly, and Merlin broke out into elated chuckles. 

Oh God. They had to stop doing this. 

  
  


* 

Arthur kept surprising him. Merlin had excused himself from the common area at his apartment, disappeared into his room and began texting Gwaine. 

The two of them had worked until late, putting the pieces together for the file that was supposed to prove, once and for all, that Merlin’s code was completely his own. The confirmation had come in that Kara had indeed sent a build as attachment, and it was only through meticulous archiving, set in place by Uther, that Pendragon VR, and by extension Merlin, felt confident to win this case. 

His phone buzzed. 

_Share all the drty details plz_

_The dirtier the better_

Merlin climbed into bed and undressed. He decided to leave the cufflink in his briefs. He liked the idea that he could point it out to Arthur again and watch him go wild from just thinking about it. 

Yes, Arthur kept surprising him. First off, he had never known or even suspected that Arthur was gay. Sure, they had gone out drinking together with the gang on Fridays, but even sloshed, Arthur had never let on. And now, without explaining much, somehow Arthur knew exactly what Merlin needed. 

So, he explained to Gwaine about the cufflink. 

How he had been branded Pendragon. The company valued him, knew his name for the first time. He wasn’t just a code-monkey in Gaius’ crew, but an actual asset. 

It was more than that, though. Ever since this case began, Arthur’s focus had been entirely on Merlin. Branding him Pendragon reached further than just his code. Arthur was just a bit selfish in that regard. He’d noticed it when it came to Gwaine too. 

Arthur could completely forget Gwaine was even in the room. 

He could completely forget Gwaine wasn’t even in the picture, when they made out in the office. 

_Did you have to go stalk him again?_

No, Arthur took the initiative. The boardroom. Merlin had known exactly what was up when the invitation email spelled out ‘Urgent Meeting’. Why hadn’t he thought of that? It was beautiful. Pure poetry. Especially after that dirty-mouthed Agravaine’s words filled that room with oppressive filth, something the two of them had to break. 

It was quite something to see Arthur taking ownership of projects, pointing fingers, and putting people to work, but it was something else entirely to see all that carefully collected facade drop away, and get a glimpse of what lay underneath. 

Stripped down, Arthur was soft and _vulnerable_. He didn’t quite know why he was so entertained by that. But it got him off like nothing else. 

_Did the sister walk in again?_

Not this time. And it wasn’t so much the idea that people were walking right by the door, for Merlin this time, but the fact that they would be meeting there again before the week was out. And Merlin was planning to take a seat exactly where he had been laid out on the table, and watch Arthur come undone. 

He explained the events in much simpler terms to Gwaine. It was a quickie, they should have used the projector to stream something totally NSFW. Maybe next time. 

_So you have smth to watch. Jeez, you guys have been busy._

_Still casual right? Rmmbr u like ur job._

Yeah, he could hardly forget. Truthfully, their little escapades were the only thing keeping Merlin sane, leading up to the court date. If Mordred showed up there, he would wring his little neck. 

Gwaine was being nice though. So Merlin texted back. _Of course. All casual. I’m sure his focus will shift after a bit. He’s always been so busy._

 _Where is he now then?_ Gwaine asked. 

_The gym. It’s 10 pm, don’t these things close for the night?_ Merlin had wondered where Arthur even got the energy for a workout. Then again, he might have a little workout of his own planned. He twisted under the blankets and lowered his free hand to cup his balls, holding them, to see if he could get something started. _So when are us3 up next?_

 _Tomorrow!_ Gwaine texted. 

Merlin blinked. _Oh? I didn’t know. Ok._

It took a moment for Gwaine to reply. Merlin was curling his fingers around his dick, feeling it swell up at delicious thoughts of Gwaine mounting Arthur, or Arthur mounting Gwaine. God, he could lose hours like that. 

His phone buzzed again. _Ok I asked Artie. Tomorrow, my place, at 8. Don’t be l8._

 _Shit_ , he thought. Merlin sagged against his pillow. Apparently Gwaine couldn’t wait until the weekend and had played him. 

_I got plans. My bucket list._

Merlin bit his lip. So, Gwaine would call the shots. _What happened to the firefighter?_

_Yeah! We’re texting. He’s shy. But also_

_He wnted to do porn, like act in it_

_Can u believe? Shy guy in porn._

Merlin tried to recall the tall man from the bar. He had seemed friendly. His dick seemed to remember more about him, his strong build, and hands so large, he made their Mojitos look like shots. _Why didn’t he do it?_

Gwaine texted him back quickly. _Too tall! No one needs tht kinnd of rejection._

 _Also, hes got a Prince Albert_. 

“Holy shit,” Merlin said aloud. _Jealous! When u meeting?_

_Next Monday, his day off._

He smiled. This could be nice for Gwaine. He had a thing for heroic types and, well, a thing for drinks. Who knew where this could lead. 

Merlin closed his eyes and stroked himself, finding images that worked for him. He ended up circling back to Arthur. This time Arthur was in his office, naked, and seated at his desk. He was telling Merlin to show him the latest VR build, so he put on the headset and walked around the completely safe environment that was part of the standard programming. But Merlin would flip a switch and change the standard presentation to some wonderful gay porn, and begin sucking Arthur off while he watched two guys have a go at it. 

Another text from Gwaine came in. _Srry was txting Artie. So, u going commando tmrw again?_

 _Am not allowed._ He didn’t always go to work like that, just on days when he wanted to feel sexy. 

_Fck the rules. Bsides how will he know?_

By sticking his hand down his jeans, like what he had done in his office. Merlin moaned at the memory. Just like that, not even a warning. Damn. If he had known Arthur could be like that, they should have done this ages ago. 

At last he replied to Gwaine. _Yeah you’re right. Will do it. Night. X_

He turned the sound off on his phone, grabbed some tissues and continued his glorious fantasy of sucking off his boss. 

  
  


* 

Wednesday didn’t turn out as planned at all. He had only seen Arthur briefly in the hallway before he had been whisked away by Uther. According to Gaius, they had been stuck in a private meeting for hours. Morgana had been invited up as well. 

Gaius had looked at Merlin with concern, but hadn’t said anything. And it was the silence that unnerved Merlin the most. 

_Shit!_ he thought. _We’ve been found out!_

Arthur hadn’t come down for lunch. By that time Merlin tasted bile. It wasn’t until 3 PM that Merlin was invited up to Uther’s office on the top floor at last to hear what was up. He was a ball of nerves, his pocketed hands trembling. And he wasn’t even wearing underwear. 

He had gone over it in his head. The elevator, he had assumed at last. It must have some hidden camera in it. Was that how they had seen? Arthur’s hand on his groin, and Merlin leering back at him. If that was what they had seen, then Arthur was in serious trouble. 

Or the doorman, at Arthur’s flat, had he seen Merlin leave at odd times? Twice, Gwaine had left early, and Merlin many hours later. 

He was pale as a sheet as he walked in. 

Arthur glanced at Merlin’s unease awkwardly and Morgana studied him like a hawk. 

“Take a seat,” Uther said. “Do you know why you are invited here?”

“No,” Merlin said, taking his hands out of his pockets and folding them in front of himself defensively. 

“Some alarming news has reached us,” Morgana said, tilting her head to observe Merlin. “Have you been talking to Kara Wilde at all?” 

“What? No!” Merlin said instantly. 

“Mentioned her to your friends?” Morgana asked condescendingly. 

“No! Of course not!” Merlin was thoroughly surprised. 

“Looked her up on LinkedIn, or Social Media?” 

“Again, no. I was working late on the case last night, and went home. Why? What happened?’ His eyes were wide, and pleaded to Arthur to fill him in. 

“It appears,” Uther said, standing up, “that Kara Wilde has got herself a lawyer. We don’t know how she figured out about our knowledge of her involvement, but it could jeopardise the flow of the case Agravaine worked on.”  

Merlin frowned directly at Uther, something the man clearly hadn’t anticipated. He lifted his chin and waited for Merlin to speak. 

“My work has been stolen from me, a case shoved under my nose, and the only thing I have been doing is creating software for Pendragon VR. There is no reason for me to inform her of any of this, especially not if she is the thief.” 

“That’s what we are assuming for now. And you have not reached out to Valiant Corp in any way?” 

“No!” Merlin said, standing up straight. If this was all he would be questioned about, then he could survive that. As long as Arthur wasn’t in trouble. The colour had returned to his cheeks as he said, “My loyalties lie here. Even if another company would try to send me an offer, I enjoy building the software, the office environment, and I believe in what we are creating.” 

Morgana narrowed her eyes. “What about the pay they offered you?” 

A smile curled around one side of Merlin’s mouth, as he turned to her slowly. “As a software engineer, I can always be expected to be paid reasonably well. I pick the projects I work on and the company I believe in. And right now I believe in Pendragon VR. Your support towards me during this case is proof enough. Even if Valiant Corp would pay the penalty of the confidentiality clause in my contract, I could never work for someone like that.” 

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Arthur staring at him, a completely unmasked expression of pride, and something else, on his face. And it was telling. And dangerous. 

“Right, Arthur?” Merlin jabbed. 

Arthur quickly recomposed himself and turned to his father. “You can tell Agravaine to proceed. All his colleagues have vouched for him, as has Gaius, and I do as well. We will meet Miss Wilde in court with our own allegations.” 

“In the meantime,” Morgana said, “I have sent her on leave. With pay, I’m afraid. Her contract still lasts five months. The sooner this case is over, the sooner we can get that money back.” 

Uther nodded, his expression unfathomable. “What about security measures?” 

“Lance has improved them over the weekend,” Morgana explained. “Everything is in place.” 

“Merlin, why don’t you stay?” Uther said, pointing to the seat Arthur was sitting in as if he wasn’t even there. 

Arthur stood up without another word. 

But Morgana wasn’t dismissed so easily. “I want her name blacklisted. Tell Agravaine.” 

Merlin anxiously took a seat, while the others left, and for the first time since working at Pendragon VR, he was left in a room, alone, with Uther. 

  
  


* 

Arthur arrived at Gwaine’s apartment at exactly 8 PM. He heard footsteps on the stairs just as he arrived out of the elevator and saw Merlin, out of breath, walking up. 

“So, you’re the fucker who got the elevator just as I was buzzed in?” 

“At least you got some exercise,” Arthur said with a shrug. 

“What, the last few days weren’t enough?” Merlin quipped cheekily. 

Arthur cursed and rang the doorbell. He felt a blush creep up his cheeks. “At least you held it together against my father,” he said. 

“You arse, you could have texted me or something,” Merlin sulked. “I thought that was it, you know? That someone figured us out.” 

Arthur put a hand across his shoulders and shook him. “No time for gloomy thoughts.” They heard Gwaine stumble through his house. “But yeah, perhaps that should stop.” 

Merlin nodded quietly and leaned against him for a moment. 

“It’s okay,” Arthur said and squeezed his shoulder. “Now don’t be a grumpy sausage. Gwaine has plans, alright?” 

The door opened and Arthur pushed Merlin through the opening, into the delighted arms of Gwaine, who welcomed them both in as if they were old friends. 

“Come on, come along,” Gwaine pulled them both inside. “Beers?” 

Arthur took one gladly and stilled the nerves in his gut with several cool, heavenly sips. 

“So, I hear you two have been busy bunnies,” Gwaine said, crashing on his couch. A strange expression briefly crossed his face.  

Arthur followed and sat in a chair opposite, while Merlin kicked Gwaine’s legs off the couch to free a spot for himself. 

“I think that’s history now. There’s a court date next week and I just want us to win,” Merlin said, aiming for light conversation but Arthur saw through his facade. Merlin was pretty shaken. 

“They will go down,” Arthur said and raised his glass to him. 

“Speaking of going down,” Gwaine remarked, leaning forward. “Remember where we left off?” He winked at Arthur. 

“I haven’t even finished my beer,” he complained. 

“Sure, have it your way. But you’ll hear my plans out, yeah?” Gwaine put his hand on Merlin’s thigh beside him and squeezed. “This involves both of you.” 

“Um, duh?” Merlin said, and yelped when Gwaine pinched right behind his knee. “Alright, alright! You said it’s on your bucket list, right? So, what is it?”

“Okay, well remember Eenie, Meenie and Miney?” 

Arthur opened the top button of his shirt, sensing what was coming. “They’ve retired?” 

Gwaine sat at the edge of the couch and held his beer bottle loosely between both hands. “Last time, you were both getting ready for me. That was good. So, today, I want you both.” 

“What happened to your other plan?” Merlin’s brow pinched. 

“Some other time. Today is my day, and I say double penetration.” 

Arthur opened another shirt button, because _damn_. 

“That’s what you’ve been preparing for?” Merlin asked, smiling excitedly. “Fuck it, I’m in.” 

Gwaine leaned over and kissed Merlin, holding onto his cheek. “I knew you would like it.” Then he looked at Arthur sideways. “What about you?” 

Arthur put his bottle down. “I finished my beer.” He stood up and began undoing his belt. 

The combined smiles of Merlin and Gwaine as they looked up to him were enough to get him started. Gwaine’s smirk was made of filthy delight, and Merlin’s was full of cheeky mirth as he stared up through his lashes. 

He undid his cuffs, and looked down at Gwaine, who had begun groping Merlin’s groin. Arthur undid the rest of his buttons, while Merlin pulled off his T-Shirt, and began undoing his belt. 

“If that’s the way you guys feel, we should have done this to begin with,” Gwaine said with a grin and got up. “First one naked gets to go on top!” 

Arthur was just getting out of his shoes and socks, when Merlin pulled down his jeans, revealing he had gone commando again, and stood buck naked, lifting his arms in victory. 

“I told you not to go commando,” Arthur said, slightly miffed, well perhaps reasonably upset, that he had lost. 

“You’re just my boss,” Merlin said testily and shrugged. “You don’t own me.” 

“Hey, hey,” Gwaine cooed Merlin. “Don’t let him rub you the wrong way. He’s still got buttons to undo. Maybe I _wanted_ you on top, yeah?” He pulled Merlin against him and ran a hand gently through his hair. 

Arthur swore that Merlin blushed, right before Gwaine leaned in for a kiss. 

Something within Arthur stirred unpleasantly. He didn’t like it when Gwaine did that. Tune Merlin down, play with him like that. 

He hurried up undressing, because he didn’t want Gwaine to be the only one making Merlin hard, before they would completely focus on Gwaine and not have any time to share together. He was surprised at his own greed, but then again, he also wasn’t. 

“Alright, come along now,” Gwaine said and pulled his T-shirt over his head. “Artie, you’re to be the anchor, so you go first.” 

Arthur casually stripped himself of his underwear, folded it deliberately slow, placed it on the rest of his pile of clothes, put his watch on top, and followed. Gwaine’s bedroom was prepared with several kinds of lube and condoms, as well as an array of sex toys. The curtains were drawn and the lights were dimmed. It seemed as if this item was rather high on Gwaine’s bucket list. He lay down in the middle of Gwaine’s made bed and propped up two pillows behind his head.

Merlin went straight for the sex toys, seemingly entirely unconcerned with his nudity. Gwaine had stripped down as well, and now faced the end of a riding crop that Merlin had picked up. 

“Well, what do you know?” Gwaine offered his easy grin and raised his hands in surrender. 

Merlin lifted his chin and took a step forward, pushing Gwaine to step back, with the tip of the whip. “I want you to show it to me.” 

“You mean Mo? Come take a look then.”

“Turn around,” Merlin said, and snapped the whip lightly against Gwaine’s side. “Put your hands on the desk.” 

Arthur’s brows shot up when Gwaine pressed his lips together, turned around and bent over, placing his hands on his working desk, displaying himself before Merlin. While watching, Arthur took a hold of his dick, and gently stroked it. 

Merlin gently eased the tip of the whip over Gwaine’s bent back, lowering it until it touched the rubber of the large, purple end of the silicone plug. The whip moved lower to stroke in small circles over Gwaine’s balls. 

Gwaine’s arms shivered at the sensation, and he lowered his head in submission to the move. 

Taking a step closer, Merlin moved the whip lower. He stuck the length of the crop between Gwaine’s legs and twisted sharply, forcing Gwaine to spread his legs. 

“Whoa, easy does it,” Gwaine said. 

Merlin stilled Gwaine with a hand on his back. “Shhh” he whispered. “Just say ‘apples’ when you want me to stop.” Merlin’s fingers traced the outlines of muscles on Gwaine’s back, trailing down the valley of his spine. “Arch your back for me.” 

Gwaine did just that. Merlin stepped in, pushed his dick down and slid it between Gwaine’s legs. He closed the distance and kept his hips firmly against Gwaine’s backside, knowing full well there would be additional pressure on the plug that way, and gently gyrated his hips, to test his limits. The way he bit his lip and threw his head back revealed how much Merlin was enjoying this. 

Arthur watched their play, stunned into silence by Merlin taking charge as if it was second nature to him. It made him wonder about any of their encounters, anything the two of them had done together in the past few days. Had Merlin been in charge there too? 

Merlin lifted the whip and put it across Gwaine’s throat, just under his Adam’s apple, and held the other end with his free hand. He lifted Gwaine until he was standing, and Gwaine obliged with a strangled whimper. 

Merlin murmured into Gwaine’s ear, deep and husky, “I want you to spoil Arthur. Pamper him. He likes that. But don’t touch his dick. That’s for you to ride on later.” 

The whip was removed and Gwaine, moaning without shame, was released and shoved onto the bed. He climbed towards Arthur, his back poised towards Merlin and dived straight between Arthur’s legs, aiming to take up one of his balls into his mouth. 

“Ah!” Gwaine yelped when Merlin struck him across his left buttcheek. 

“Balls are also off limits,” Merlin said sharply, and palmed Gwaine’s butt, giving it a rough squeeze. 

The room felt tense, as Gwaine continued his crawl upwards and kissed Arthur’s chest. He took his time for it, nipping and licking over various groups of muscles over Arthur’s V-line and ribs, licking up his pecs, over his chest hair, all the way to his nipple, and then moving to the nipple on other side to shower it with attention as well. 

Arthur sighed and let himself be spoiled. The way Gwaine was using only his mouth, and not touching him anywhere else, was tantalising. When he bit down gently on a nipple, Arthur squirmed and put his hand in Gwaine’s hair. He let him do it for a little longer, revelling in the feeling. 

Gwaine was looking up to him now, following each of Arthur’s expressions, as he manhandled his soft skin. Gwaine’s body was warm, hovering close to his skin, and Arthur felt a thrumming excitement run through him. Behind them, Merlin was busy gathering items for their upcoming ordeal. 

Secretly, Gwaine ran a hand up Arthur’s thigh, following the lines of his muscles. His finger closed in on his groin and Arthur sucked in a breath. That was when Merin stuck the butt of the whip against the flat end of the buttplug, which had Gwaine huff in surprise and strain forward, where Arthur sealed his mouth with a kiss. 

Gwaine groaned right into the kiss, as Arthur’s fingers combed through his hair, getting it out of his face. Merlin’s slicked up hand began fondling Gwaine’s balls tenderly. Arthur was wound up, yearning for some attention down there. But Gwaine’s hand was long gone, poised to support himself against the sheets, and obeying Merlin’s words. 

“Spread your legs,” Merlin said salaciously, “both of you.” 

Gwaine spread his legs further and Arthur found himself obliging. Then he understood why. He hissed against Gwaine’s lips when Merlin’s slick finger touched his balls and stroked the underside of them, right by his taint. 

Even though Gwaine couldn’t see anything, he understood what was happening, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes revealed his great delight. 

“The same goes for you, Arthur. Just say ‘apples’ for me to stop.” 

Arthur held on to Gwaine, one hand in his hair and the other around his back. Gwaine was unfairly relaxed, leaning down to kiss Arthur’s neck instead, while Merlin’s fingers explored further. 

Was he going to let this happen? He had said it wasn’t for him. But then, that wasn’t the plan at all. It was Gwaine’s party, wasn’t it? So he stayed quiet, waiting to find out what would happen. 

Merlin’s finger pressed against his opening and Arthur felt it slip in the moment he tried to relax. Meanwhile, Gwaine was spreading kisses all along his jaw and groping Arthur’s chest with greedy fingers. Merlin’s finger pushed further and further in. 

Arthur refused to say ‘apples’. Not yet. Not when the finger slid in and out, smooth and slick. Not when Arthur’s thighs relaxed at last. And not when a second finger joined. He felt sweetly abused, and not abused enough, his cock still woefully untouched. Then Merlin’s finger curled, and it was a sweet sensation, powerful and overwhelming. 

“Ahhn, wait,” Arthur said, brows pinched and eyes firmly shut. The feeling continued. It wasn’t enough to climax, but it sent his mind into a haze and body into an upwards thrust, entirely by itself. “Wait, stop. Apples, okay? Apples.” 

Abruptly, Merlin’s fingers were gone and Arthur saw that he was taking off a thin latex glove, and replacing it with another, a fierce blush across his face and his focus betrayed by a shadow under his cheekbones, which revealed his delight. 

“Just when it was getting good,” Gwaine teased, and it earned him another loud slap on his rear. 

Merlin threw a condom onto the bed besides Arthur and took a hold of Gwaine’s hips. “I’m going to take it out now,” he purred. With his gloved hand, he took a hold of Mo, Gwaine’s obscene plug, and slowly began to pull. 

“Oh, fuck,” Gwaine complained and his body stiffened. 

Arthur stroked his back in small circle and held his head with the other. “Relax, it’ll be over soon.” 

Merin was taking utmost care to be delicate, as he pulled the large device out, and lay it on a ready towel, covered it up and put it away. 

“Your turn,” Merlin nodded to Arthur. 

“Are you ready?” Arthur asked Gwaine, who nodded against Arthur’s neck. “I mean, do you really want this?” 

“Fuck yeah. Give me that condom, I’ll put it on you—Ah!” 

“Off limits,” Merlin reminded him, his gloved hand flat against Gwaine’s arse. 

Arthur quickly discarded the wrapper and put the condom on. The feeling of any pressure against his cock already enough to begin building something up. “I need some lube,” he said hoarsely. 

Between Gwaine’s outstretched legs came Merlin’s gloved hand, fully lubed up and gave Arthur’s cock a few firm squeezes with it, sending his mind into a warped state of pleasure. 

When the hand was gone, Arthur looked up at Gwaine, who was staring back dead serious for once. Then Gwaine straddled Arthur properly and lowered himself. It went smooth, and Arthur grabbed hold of Gwaine’s thighs to keep him in place. Not that Gwaine was going anywhere in particular. 

Merlin pushed his knees under Arthur’s spread legs, and took his place behind Gwaine, stroking his back to comfort him. “We’ll take it slow, alright?” 

Gwaine smiled easily, like he always did, but before he could turn it into a joke, his jaw went slack and his eyes fell shut. Slowly, Merlin was pushing into him, his cock trapped tightly against Arthur’s, and until a small stuttering breath escaped him, Arthur hadn’t even realised how excited Merlin was. 

They let Gwaine wiggle around for a moment and Arthur stayed mostly still, allowing Gwaine to have a basis to go from. From the rasping sounds of Gwaine’s breath, he was enjoying this perhaps a bit too much. 

Then Merlin began. He put one hand at the back of Gwaine’s neck, fingers curled over the crook of his shoulder and shifted his hips. His expression was serious and unfaltering. Arthur saw it right over Gwaine’s shoulder and was mesmerised. 

He felt the stroke of Merlin’s cock, past his own, gripped tightly together. He was reminded of their small office escapade where he had rubbed them together. It seemed like a small feat now, next to this. 

Merlin’s eyes stole over Gwaine’s back and shoulders, as he set the tempo, his mouth set in a small ‘o’. Gwaine’s breathing was getting louder and louder, each exhale accompanied by heady moans. And it was the sweetest sound of the day. 

As Gwaine seemed to be taking them just fine, Merlin upped the pace, curling a hand around Gwaine’s chest and pulling him up, the other gripping Gwaine’s hair and lifting his head back. 

All Gwaine had to balance himself were their cocks, and his knees planted firmly around Arthur’s waist. His arms hung loose, and he leaned back against Merlin’s body, as Merlin started pounding into him. Gwaine’s continued ‘uh, uh, uh, uh,’ spurred them on. 

Arthur felt the speed increase as Merlin’s flesh slid past his own, faster and faster, inside Gwaine’s slick, tight arse. He reached down and curled his fingers around Gwaine’s rock-hard erection and jerked him off with thick, long thrusts. 

Looking up, Arthur saw Gwaine’s head lolling back, or pulled further back by Merlin, and Merlin’s intense expression staring down straight at him. With his free hand, Arthur reached up and pinched one of Gwaine’s nipples, effectively drawing a strangled cry from his throat. 

Three of Merlin’s thrusts later and Gwaine’s body spasmed and jerked, and he cried out, spilling his cum all over Arthur’s chest, some of it all the way to his collarbone. Arthur milked him for several tight pulls, until Gwaine’s hand stilled his, resting lightly on his wrist. 

Merlin’s eyes were closed and he shouted his orgasm away into Gwaine’s back as he finished too, hips slamming forcefully into Gwaine’s lax body, fingers dug into Gwaine’s ribs. 

Arthur was too stunned to climax. He waited until both of them had unfurled themselves, and fallen into the sheets, before even moving. Merlin was breathing hard and gingerly pulled the condom away, while Gwaine found the wet towel Merlin had prepared and carefully checked himself. 

“Was it all you wanted?” Arthur asked. 

“Fuck yeah,” Gwaine said easily. 

Arthur took his condom off as well, and put it on the pile of plastic and wrappers Merlin was collecting. 

“You didn’t…?” Merlin asked suddenly, wide eyed. 

“It’s fine,” Arthur said and sat up. “It was… for Gwaine, I mean.” 

Gwaine curled up beside him and slid his fingers up Arthur’s thigh. “Don’t worry, Artie. We’ve got you, right Merlin?” This time Merlin didn’t complain when Gwaine picked up Arthur’s cock to stroke it. 

“Then you can tell us what you want.” Merlin’s eyes had those crinkles at the corners, and something in Arthur’s belly fluttered. 


	13. Unspoken

Arthur looked back and forth between the two of them. He wasn’t certain what he wanted. Well, that was actually a flat-out lie. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. 

If he would pick Merlin, he would be all too obvious and not entirely too casual. If he picked Gwaine, then he was sure what Gwaine would want to do to him—one way or another—and while he might be up for that, he wasn’t sure he wanted to give Gwaine that satisfaction. Then again, it had been Merlin playing with him moments earlier. 

There really was no right option to choose. 

“Then,” he said and looked over to the pile of toys, “I want a blindfold. And, a blowjob, or something.” 

Merlin and Gwaine grinned at each other. Gwaine, snuggled tighter against Arthur’s body and fondled his nipple, saying, “Or something it is. Then we’ll need to cuff you as well, yeah?” 

It was all Merlin’s fault, really. When Merlin licked his lips at the suggestion, and a spark of light caught in his eyes, Arthur was helpless against refusing. So, he nodded and within a minute found his arms bound with strong leather cuffs to the top of Gwaine’s bed, around the central decorative bar, right above the headboard. 

Once his eyes were covered, he felt tense and his senses were warped. Oiled hands began stroking his thighs in a slow massage. A tongue darted around the tip of his cock. Another hand touched his arm. It was disorienting. Meanwhile, Merlin and Gwaine were both making small noises as if they were agreeing or disagreeing with each other over something. 

He felt impatient. “Well? What are you—?” He stopped abruptly when a mouth closed over his cock and began wetting it expertly. 

His body soared in pleasure. One of his nipples was assaulted, then the other, and he clenched his jaw. 

“So pretty, Arthur,” Merlin said close to his ear. There was a tug at his nipple, and this time the pressure stayed. “Still ‘apples’, yeah?” 

Arthur bit his lips, realising the pressure from the clamps wouldn’t go away. He took in a deep breath, testing, and found that with Gwaine’s mouth still sucking him off, that he could handle it. He slowly let out a breath. 

Lips attached themselves to his own, which he could only assume were Merlin’s, and he kissed back, like a starved, depraved fool. The lips were soft, and his tongue cheeky like Merlin’s. He shifted his body and reached up, wanting more of that, but the mouth left, and Arthur wasn’t sure what to do. 

His other leg was massaged, strong fingers pushing over his skin, allowing the tension to ebb away. Which was undone the moment he felt something push at his hole again. 

“What?” 

“Just a small one,” Gwaine said. “Just a bit of fun, no worries, Princess.” 

As Gwaine spoke, Arthur felt a mouth over his cock again and assumed that Merlin was sucking him this time. He wanted to complain, he did, but he also wanted nothing to change about this moment. His arms strained against the bonds and he found his wrists firmly locked in place. 

The pressure at his arse increased, and soon he felt a shape being pushed inside. It really wasn’t much. Just something solid. “As long as you don’t ask me to name them,” he said, surprised at how rough his voice sounded already. 

“Arthur’s not very good with names,” Merlin quipped. 

His cock was neglected again, in favor of playing with the toy up his arse, moving it in and out. 

“He doesn’t remember half his colleagues most of the time.” 

Arthur didn’t rise to the bait. He clenched his jaw shut and simply felt. He felt everything. Hairs touching his chest, when Gwaine lay close and kneaded his chest, adding pressure to the clamps on his nipples. 

“But you should see him after hours. He turns into some kind of beast that prowls the dark upper floors and consumes anyone who dares enter his office.” 

Gwaine snorted and lowered his hand over Arthur’s abdomen, and teasingly only jerked the bottom half of his cock, giving him minimum relief. They were enjoying this way too much, Arthur thought. Still, he wouldn’t bite. He lifted his hips, trying to get some more out of it. 

“Greedy, ravenous… I’m not quite sure how I escaped with my life,” Merlin said. 

The plug was still fucking his arse and Arthur began to feel it take effect, pushing against something good. He held his breath for several moments, but couldn’t help it when a low gasp escaped him, awestruck by the feeling. 

“That good?” Merlin asked. 

There was movement on the bed again, and the toy left for a moment, only to return with more lube. 

“Ah!” Arthur couldn’t help himself. He was debating saying apples, or perhaps to get the damn clamps off his nipples. 

“Shh,” Merlin’s voice was next to his ear. “You’re doing great.” Kisses were placed on his neck. 

Arthur wanted to touch him, feel his skin, his hair, see his expression. Something more. Merlin’s kisses went lower and lower. Over his chest, sternum, abdomen. Yes, that was good. 

“You should turn around, Arthur,” Merlin suggested. “Can you do that?” 

The toy stopped buggering him and he was left to think for a few moments. “Yes,” he said and shifted his legs, turning his body around. It required him to cross his cuffed wrists, but he could hold on to the chains for a while. He could do this. 

“What will you do?” 

“Shh,” Merlin cooed next to his ear. “Just stay like that. You are gorgeous. We will handle the rest.” 

Merlin’s hand stroked his dick in long pulls. A rustle of something. Movement on the bed. Arthur’s knees dug into the sheets, and the clamps, hanging down, pulled on his sore nipples. 

Then there were hands at his arse again, pressure, and this time it wasn’t a toy. 

A hand was still jerking him off while one of them was pushing into him. 

“Oh, fuck, Gwaine,” Arthur complained. It had been years ago. If there hadn’t also been a hand jerking him, he might have bucked in the process. As it was, he kept his hips where they were, until Gwaine was seated firmly inside him. 

It was a lot. Not too much, but a lot. He rested his forehead against his arms and debated saying ‘apples’. Not now, not yet. He could handle it. He wanted to show them that he could. This was safe. They would treat him well. 

The thrusts began slow and long, hands gently placed on his waist. The contact was warm and delicious, the pulling out equally enticing. He found himself giving in, spreading his legs and arching his back. 

“Reliving the good old times?” Gwaine asked. His voice was close, right beside his ear. 

Arthur stilled. That wasn’t right! 

If Gwaine was right there, then… 

“Bloody hell. Take the blindfold off. Now.” 

The hand stroking him left, and a purposefully forceful thrust rocked him, right as Gwaine removed the blindfold. 

“You’re doing great, Artie. Just saying. Never known Merlin to be up for seconds so quickly.” 

Arthur blinked twice and looked over his shoulder, where Merlin was indulging himself in filling Arthur up again and again, his cheeks rosy and his mouth open in awe. 

“Stop,” Arthur said. 

Merlin didn’t stop. 

“Fuck,” he complained, suddenly overwhelmed by twisted lust. Did he want this? Did he want Merlin like this? His body was giving in to the feeling quickly. God, how could _Merlin_ be doing this to him? 

Gwaine put a pillow below Arthur and climbed under him, closing his lips around the tip of Arthur’s cock. 

Shocked, Arthur stilled and felt another thrust shove him forward. It pushed him into Gwaine’s mouth. His cock throbbed with delight. It was too much to handle suddenly, everything building up faster than he expected. 

And once he stopped resisting and gave into the motion, it all went fast. Gwaine’s mouth was wet, sweet and soft, tongue expertly working him up, while Merlin began pounding into him. And that was when his prostate decided that everything was perfect. 

Trembling, Arthur’s body clenched, as pleasure soared through him, washing away all his other thoughts as he came. His cock pulsated somewhere inside Gwaine’s throat and Merlin’s pounding didn’t stop until Arthur’s body went limp. 

He was panting, sweating and, to his own disgrace, whimpering. 

Merlin left. The clamps were removed from him, pulling another shiver and a hiss from his body. His arms were released, and he lay down on his side, thoroughly bewildered. A warmth sealed itself behind him when Gwaine spooned him and drew some of the thrown about blankets over their legs. 

“You sore anywhere?” Gwaine asked him softly. 

Arthur shook his head. 

“See? I told you I can top,” Merlin said, returning to the room after having cleaned himself up. “I don’t think I could come twice, but that was—”

“I have to go,” Arthur said and got up. He gathered his clothes and dressed, while the other two looked on silently. 

“Mate, you’d be welcome to stay for a while.” Gwaine put his trousers on and approached him barefoot. “It could be good to talk?” 

Arthur felt the fabric of his shirt chafe against his nipples as he put on his jacket. “No thanks, I have things to do.” 

Gwaine’s hand rested on his shoulder. “Arthur, you gotta say if something’s up. It’s important.” Merlin was looking on from the bedroom door opening. 

He paused, quelling something inside of him and letting out a sigh. While Gwaine was right, it wasn’t something he could put into words. “I’m fine, really. Enjoy your evening.” 

With a vague, clumsy wave in Merlin’s direction he left. 

  
  


* 

“He did it again!” Merlin complained. 

Gwaine planted a cup of tea in front of Merlin and took a seat beside him on the couch. They were both halfway decently dressed and the radio played in the background. “He’s a free man, Merlin.” 

“It’s like we’re suddenly nothing,” he sighed, not sure why it bothered him so much. 

“I don’t really know him that well, but he just seems his own man, you know?” Gwaine’s hand stroked slowly up and down Merlin’s back. 

Merlin folded his hands around the warm cup and shrugged. “More like a stubborn donkey.” 

Gwaine leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. “So what if he is?” 

“Well, I think it’s rude.” Just like last time, Arthur had left without any proper… proper what? Cuddles? That wasn’t right, that wasn’t the sort of arrangement they had. 

“Maybe, but so were you,” Gwaine replied and put his feet on the table. 

“What?!” 

“Look, I’ve been giving him a hard time about checking _your_ boundaries—” 

“He didn’t say ‘apples’!” Merlin protested. 

“He asked you to stop,” Gwaine countered. 

“That’s not the same as ‘apples’.” A heavy arm folded itself around Merlin’s shoulders. Merlin leaned against Gwaine. It was comforting. 

“Merlin, Merlin. Did it ever cross your mind that Arthur doesn’t have a long history of kinky sex? And maybe his limits were pushed quite a bit, and he’s got to think about what that means?” 

Merlin frowned. “I had fun tonight. And now that’s been taken away.” 

“Sure, mate. I get that. Honestly though, I think you should treat Arthur more like a person.” 

He shrugged out of Gwaine’s casual hug indignantly and sat at the edge of his seat. “Me?! I treat him like anyone else!” 

“Not really. You just see him as your boss and use him for that. And you just fucked him. You seduced him in his personal office, his safe space, going beyond the casual zone of the three of us.” 

“He started it!” 

Gwaine nodded and leaned over to him. “No offense mate, and you were a great top today, but hasn’t he got the right to feel used?” 

“Ugh,” Merlin said. “He doesn’t _have_ feelings!” 

Gwaine laughed in an easy, warm chuckle. “Sure, sure. And what about you?” 

  
  


* 

Merlin hadn’t seen Arthur anymore the rest of that week. His flight for China left on Sunday. The plan was that Arthur would go straight to the courthouse to meet up with Uther and him upon his return. The final preparations for the case were now in Agravaine’s hands, and Arthur’s priority was the Chinese investor meeting. The quiet days had been strangely empty. 

At the very last moment, Arthur had also cancelled Friday drinks. 

Merlin was beginning to get anxious. For all the support on the case and the attention he’d received during their delicious escapades, Arthur’s absence unnerved him. 

It was Saturday evening and there were no plans at all. Gwaine had left for a family event that weekend and would be meeting his firefighter, Percy, on Monday, so Merlin couldn’t call him either. 

He debated calling or texting Arthur, but that would be breaking the rules again. He played with the idea for a while and eventually put his phone away. A few moments later, Arthur texted him. 

_Did you take Kara’s file home? The one from Monday?_

Merlin rushed over to his small desk and looked through his papers. He texted, _Yes. Sorry._

_My uncle needs it. He is driving me to the airport tomorrow. Can you bring it over?_

Merlin bit his lip. He wanted to see Arthur once more before the trip. Would this be breaking the rule? Or just helping out someone from the office? It would be fine, right? 

Merlin texted back. _Omw_

When he arrived at Arthur’s flat, he was feeling anxious and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

There was a large suitcase placed on the coffee table. Clothes, shoes, jackets, chargers, and toiletries were strewn across the living room, together with a packet of lollipops. 

“You know, if you needed help packing…” Merlin joked as he handed over the file. 

“Shut up,” Arthur quipped back and thwapped Merlin over the head with the file. 

Arthur wasn’t angry, then. A weight lifted off Merlin’s shoulders. He put some clothes aside and dropped onto the couch. “I’d love a beer, actually,” he added with cheek. He needed to know if they were on good footing. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be? It’s Saturday evening.” 

Merlin shrugged and began refolding Arthur’s clothes, rolling them up and placing them into the suitcase. They remained quiet for a moment and he wasn’t certain if that meant he should leave, or was silently allowed to stay. He needed to know what Arthur thought, but he had no words with which to ask him. 

“What are you doing?” Arthur asked after a while. 

“Packing,” Merlin said. 

“Don’t…” Arthur put away the pile of papers he had been going over and walked over to him, taking a sweater out of Merlin’s hands. 

“Oi,” Merlin said, “I don’t mind.” 

He looked tired and stressed, Merlin noticed. And if the lollipops were any indication… Arthur walked away again, without any further complaints. That was good, right? 

“You know, Gwaine has this one rule about packing, if you roll them up like this, it saves space,” Merlin said, trying to sound aloof. 

“Do you always have to bring him up, Merlin?” Arthur asked, opening a drawer and taking out a pair of sunglasses. 

“So? We’re just talking. What do you have against talking?” 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “We don’t talk, Merlin. We fuck.”  

The hairs on Merlin’s neck stood on end. He bit his tongue to refrain from retorting. He was right though, wasn’t he? That’s what they did. It was all just casual. So, they should keep it light. “Well, maybe that’s because we’ve never tried?” 

“Why are you still here? I thought you might be seeing Gwaine tonight,” Arthur said testily, picking out some old receipts from his wallet and crumpling them before throwing them into the garbage can. 

Arthur’s voice was constricted, Merlin noticed. As if he had somehow suspected that it was a given that Merlin would be seeing him. “He’s not home.” 

“I see,” was all Arthur said.

“I know because he texted last night and sent me a photo of the lodge his family is staying at.” Why did Arthur have to be such an arse? Merlin was treating him like a person, right? 

“Well, you could be out picking up someone else at the Rising Sun,” Arthur said. 

“Not particularly interested,” Merlin replied quickly. He got up and walked to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. Something that would take the edge off. Why were they so horrible at this? He walked back. 

“How long was it since you last saw him, before all this began?” Arthur asked him, sorting through a ridiculous amount of credit cards. 

Merlin blinked and thought back. “A bunch of years. Not since university. He… we… lost touch after that.” 

Right at that moment, Merlin’s phone buzzed with an incoming text message. 

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, muscles in his jaw working. “That’s him now, isn’t it?” 

Merlin took a swig of his beer and checked his phone. “Yes. So what?” 

“So, I’m just making conversation,” Arthur said flatly, shoulders squared. “What does it say?” 

Each minute that passed, Merlin was becoming more annoyed. “It’s a video of a live band playing at the lodge. Any other pressing questions?” 

Arthur slapped his wallet down on the cabinet and walked up to Merlin. “All of this, all that we’ve been doing. It’s been under this safe dome of casual. But it wasn’t always, was it? I get it now. Your need to prove yourself. It was always casual for him, but it wasn’t for you. You were in love with him back then, weren’t you?” 

“Excuse me?” Merlin said indignantly. “Who gave you the right to butt into my private life like that?” 

“I’m just an excuse so that you can roll in the sheets with him, like old times.” 

Merlin was fuming. “What about at the office? Gwaine wasn’t even there!” 

Arthur took another step closer, until they stood nose to nose. “And you didn’t hesitate to text him the details, did you? I don’t even know how much you divulged about an event I considered entirely private. I’m still risking my position, you know that? Yet you casually share all of it with Gwaine. You bring him up all the time, and try to impress him. And you’re trying to convince me you had no feelings for him?” 

Glaring at him, Merlin snarled, “So what if I did? That stuff doesn’t matter. It was _years_ ago. And don’t you _dare_ play the martyr here. The only reason I found out about you was because you were sexting at work! Have I even asked you _once_ about whether you were seeing your other fuckbuddy, Havoc something-or-other?” 

“He was _not_ my fuckbuddy,” Arthur growled. 

“That’s not what it looked like to me,” Merlin said, crossing the room to stand by the window. He scoffed, “What were you trying to do, _date him_?” 

Arthur’s shoulders slumped in surrendered acknowledgment, before he turned around and left the room. 

_Shit! He was!_ Merlin thought. He quickly followed and found Arthur in the bathroom, fiddling with a shaver and some cream, his back towards the door. Through the mirror, however, he saw that Arthur was upset. Merlin licked his lips nervously. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“Forget it. How could you know?” 

It seemed an odd thing, Arthur asking some random bloke out on a date. Merlin couldn’t picture it for the life of him. It didn’t feel right. “Did you stay in touch at all?” 

“No. Not after all this began.” The pale, uncomfortable bathroom light did little for Arthur’s hair and complexion. He looked pale and drained. 

“Listen, I shouldn’t have made assumptions. I don’t know why we can’t talk. But you know, we should give it a shot.” 

“It might be too late for that,” Arthur said quietly. He finished gathering the items and returned to the living room, Merlin following close on his heels. 

Merlin racked his brain about why Arthur would close himself off like this. Was it because he had expected Merlin to try something with Gwaine? Because their affairs at the office were too dangerous? Because of Gwaine’s upcoming date, and the fact that their run of threesomes might come to an end? Or was it… “Is it because of Wednesday? Is that it?” 

“No,” Arthur said dismissively. 

“Look, I didn’t realise—” 

“Listen to me, you want to talk right? So, let’s talk. Just not about this.” 

Merlin fiddled with the beer between his fingers and took a seat on the couch again. He didn’t touch any more of Arthur’s belongings. “So, uh… have you been to China before?” 

“Twice before,” Arthur said, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I rather enjoy it. But then the trips are usually entirely planned out for me and I don’t have a lot of worries. And they tend to take me to some very fine restaurants.” 

“Sure, you just never know what it is you’re eating,” Merlin offered with a grin. 

“True enough. But what doesn’t kill you…” 

Merlin shuddered. “No, I couldn’t imagine doing that.” 

“It’s tasty though. And our business partners don’t like it when we refuse a good meal.” 

Raising his beer bottle, Merlin cheered. “Rather you than me then.” 

Arthur smiled, the first real smile of the evening. Merlin felt like he had won something, only he didn’t know what. Maybe they weren’t so hopeless at this as he thought. As long as they didn’t talk about anything left unspoken between them. 

“You’re worried about the case, aren’t you?” Arthur said suddenly, leaning forward, elbows placed on his knees. 

“Yes. I mean I trust your uncle, but Valiant has a lot of cards in his hands.” Merlin fiddled with the label of his bottle. 

“It’s alright, you know.” 

“To worry?” Merlin asked, raising his brows. 

“Yes,” Arthur said simply. 

He felt an uneasy smile tug against his lips. “Did you know… that your father offered me a permanent contract within the company?” 

“I do,” Arthur said, looking down. 

“With much better pay?” 

“That too.” 

“I’ve never felt valued like that,” he said honestly. “I haven’t signed it yet, though.” 

Arthur nudged his foot with his own. “What are you waiting for?” 

Merlin shook his head. Answering that would fall right into the category about the two of them. “I just haven’t.” 

“Hm,” Arthur said. “Do you want my advice?” 

“You’re going to give it to me anyway.” Merlin smirked knowingly. 

“Ask for more, then sign it. If this is permanent, you should feel that it settles you for a good number of years.” 

“Oh God.” Merlin ducked his head. “I don’t know if I can do that. I can’t talk like you can.” 

“Nonsense,” Arthur said. “You have my father’s ear right now. The board wants you. Don’t settle for their first offer, that’s all.” 

Merlin chuckled and nodded. “I guess so.” 

They sat in silence for a while, and for the first time ever, it didn’t feel like there was a weight between them. They had broken that barrier of not being able to have a normal conversation like two human beings—and perhaps Merlin had to admit he had been at fault for that—and it was good. 

“I should let you finish packing. I’m sure you have a couple of busy days ahead,” Merlin said, finishing the last dregs of his beer. 

“Yeah, I want to wrap this up tonight.” 

Merlin nodded and walked over to the door, Arthur a few steps behind him. “Well, have a good trip. And let me know how it goes, yeah?” 

“Investor meetings? Not a chance,” Arthur chuckled. 

Biting his lip, Merlin thought about Arthur being all the way in Beijing, and about all the bad things that might happen to him. He couldn’t bear the thought of something serious occurring, Arthur not returning, sitting at court alone, and his next years signed away to Pendragon VR. 

He looked up at Arthur, placed a hand on his arm and said softly, “Be safe?” 

Whatever those two words had sounded like, Merlin didn’t know, but they had an effect. Arthur stared straight at him, vulnerable and uncertain, one of this rare unguarded expressions. Then he leaned in and kissed Merlin, a hand tentatively curling around Merlin’s waist. 

Merlin didn’t understand what was happening. Arthur’s lips against his were soft and gentle, nothing like what they had shared before. Their kiss was sensual, closed-lipped, and Merlin felt himself melt into it, his arms folding around Arthur’s shoulders and a heat burning inside of him. 

He let go suddenly and pulled back, staring owlishly. 

Arthur opened the door for him. “I’ll see you later this week then,” he said. “Remember what I told you. Ask for more.” 

Once Merlin was downstairs and outside again, the cool evening air against his hot cheeks, it really hit him that he wouldn’t see Arthur until the case. He looked up at the luxurious apartment building and decided that he was thoroughly confused. 


	14. Court Date

Merlin shifted nervously in his plastic chair, his suit feeling awkward and his tie constricting. He had expected the courtroom to be a large room with high ceilings and decorated wood panels. Instead it was a modern space with bright white light and a long row of tables at the head, occupied by a judge and several specialists to observe the case. The front row had a actual tables and proper seats. Behind that were rows of blue plastic chairs. Merlin’s chair creaked over the floor as he moved it slightly forward. Arthur still hadn’t arrived, and Merlin was a nervous wreck. 

He had felt terribly uneasy for the past several days. Slowly, all his confidence had waned about Gwaine, Arthur, and his work, as well as the case. Ever since Monday, Merlin’s mood had gone downhill faster than an oiled up Turkish wrestler on a slip and slide. 

It began with a boardroom meeting with Agravaine and Uther who were instructing him what to do and how to speak. He should have paid attention to them; he needed this kind of tutoring if he was going to survive the examination. But Agravaine had sat at the exact spot where Arthur had fucked him, and Merlin swore he saw a dried cum stain on the table, missed during their quick cleanup, that Agravaine’s sleeve just kept sliding over during his explanation. Merlin was fixated and frightened at once. 

Later that evening, Gwaine had told Merlin that his date with Percy the firefighter had been fantastic. Merlin had mourned the rest of the evening. Arthur had been right in his accusations. Even if Merlin had suppressed it for the longest time, he had been in love with Gwaine during his university years, always intoxicated by their maddening, sexy adventures. No one had made him feel that way before or since. But Gwaine’s rule was simple, always just casual. Merlin had wondered what Gwaine was waiting for. Apparently this Percy was it. 

Merlin had cried, not even knowing where his feelings came from. He didn’t feel that way for Gwaine anymore. But his tears felt long overdue as he admitted all of this to himself at last. He had texted Arthur, asking him how his trip was. 

_It’s 5AM here, Merlin. FFS._

Merlin hadn’t dared texting him for a full day after that. He was still utterly confused at what Arthur’s kiss had meant right before he left for China. Did that mark an end to their fun? Arthur had clearly said time and time again that anything they did was just casual. ‘ _We fuck_ ’. That was it. If Gwaine was out, then everything would stop, and Merlin wasn’t ready to face that yet. 

Instead, he had tried to build up the courage to discuss a counteroffer for his contract with Pendragon VR. And failed even to arrange a meeting with Uther. It was too much. Lance and Gilli had asked what was up, and even Gaius had inquired if he needed time off. He definitely didn’t need time off. That would only lead to more _thinking_ and that wasn’t getting him anywhere. 

To make matters worse, Gwen had interrogated him on his strange behaviour lately. He hadn’t been as talkative during their Friday drinks recently—mostly because he had been anticipating the Saturdays that followed—and she had said something that had rattled him. 

“I thought you guys played Xbox? It took me a while to see that something didn’t make sense.” Her eyes had shone, as if she were on to something. 

“What’s that then?” Merlin had asked her, trying his very best not to let anything show. 

“Until Dawn is a PlayStation exclusive. So, it’s not on Xbox. I don’t know what game you guys played, but you don’t have to lie to me, you know?” 

Merlin had made up some lame joke about Rockband and that they were all really bad at playing the instruments, and hoped that Gwen wouldn’t press any further questions. But his heart was in his throat. If she found out, then Arthur would… 

Then on Wednesday he had summoned all his remaining courage and brought his contract up at last in a meeting with Uther and the board. It was possibly the most frightening thing he had ever done. And not in a good way. 

Now in court, both Agravaine and Valiant’s lawyer, a tall man named Aredian, were each allotted time to introduce the cases from their perspectives. Uther was an angry ball of agitation, having texted Arthur several times without any reply. They had checking whether Arthur’s flight was delayed, but it had arrived perfectly on time hours ago. It looked like Arthur wasn’t going to make it at all. That was even _worse_ for Merlin’s confidence. 

Mr Valiant himself had a seat in the front row, and was shooting Merlin smug looks from time to time. To top it off, that little bastard, Mordred Banes, sat confidently on a chair on the other side of the courtroom. He was surrounded by several colleagues flanking him protectively. Merlin felt sick to his stomach with nerves. No one had come to support _him_. And it was his own bloody code too!

Suddenly the court doors opened and everyone looked up, Aredian pausing in the middle of a word. Arthur walked in, his coat open and billowing behind him, pulling a squeaky suitcase with a yellow strip stuck to the side. His expression was thunderous. 

“You are late,” Uther hissed at him. 

“Traffic delay,” came Arthur’s stoic reply. He placed his suitcase in the row behind Merlin and sat down next to him, in a creaky blue chair, after nodding respectfully to the judges. “What’s the status?” 

Agravaine was still hanging off every single one of Aredian’s words, scribbling notes in order to counter him later, and paid Arthur no attention. 

Uther turned around to regard Arthur and said, “They have had nearly forty minutes of introduction. It’s our turn after that. Here is the plan. Read it.” 

A neatly stapled stack of papers was pushed into Arthur’s hands and he held it out so that Merlin could read it too. 

Merlin just looked at him. 

For a short moment he couldn’t believe it. Arthur was here. 

Then he felt Arthur’s hand reach out under the papers to take his, and squeeze. He sucked in a shaky breath and squeezed back, trembling. He hadn’t even been aware of how much he needed Arthur’s support all these days. 

“Father, I need your pen. We’ll be right back. Come, Merlin.” 

“You have ten minutes,” Uther commanded and handed him his ballpoint.

Arthur let go of his hand, stood up and walked towards the door of the courtroom. Merlin hesitated a few seconds, but then followed him out. 

Arthur led him down a hallway, turned a corner and pushed through a door. Merlin blindly stepped in behind him before coming to the conclusion that this was the restroom. Four stalls stood empty, with their doors open, the four urinals on the other side equally unoccupied. 

“Were you really stuck in traffic?” Merlin asked him, folding his hands together to stop them from trembling. 

“You are not ready for this,” Arthur said with a frown. 

“No…” Merlin looked at his polished shoes, which were hurting his heel from being worn for the first time.  

“Merlin, look at me,” came his voice, steady and strong. “We are going to win this. Cheaters will always fold under the law. Agravaine has aces up his sleeve…” 

Merlin shook his head, his inner turmoil threatening to spill over. All the stress from the past days had been too much for him to handle. 

“Here, hold this pen.” Arthur held up the pen Uther had just handed him. 

Merlin made a grab for it with his hand, but Arthur pulled it out of his reach. 

“No, like this,” Arthur said, took a step closer, placing the pen sideways against Merlin’s mouth. 

Eyes widening, Merlin opened his mouth to grasp the pen with his teeth. He was reminded of their boardroom lunch meeting and felt heat suddenly burning in his cheeks. The way Arthur was looking him over stirred something in his gut to life. 

Then Arthur was on him, pressing him up against the door of the restroom, breaking all the rules that Gwaine had talked about. His mouth hovered over Merlin’s, wordless and soft. His hips aligned perfectly, tilted in a slow grind, and began settling the annoying jitters Merlin felt in his belly and pushing them aside for something stable, peaceful, and warm. 

“Take off your trousers,” Arthur told him. 

Merlin mewled at the request, and swallowed around the pen. 

“I swear to God, Merlin, if there was ever a time to be completely quiet…” 

With shaky fingers, Merlin obliged, opening his belt and feeling the soft fabric of his suit pants fall down on their own. 

“And your briefs,” Arthur ordered him. 

Merlin’s eyes widened, but Arthur was not clearly allowing for any contradiction. It was so _bloody_ hot. So, he stepped out of his briefs and watched how Arthur took them from his hand and pocketed them. 

Already hard, Merlin swallowed thickly when Arthur’s hand closed around his cock. This was definitely breaking the rules again. And he wanted it so much. Merlin tentatively reached out to Arthur, barely managing to grab hold of his shoulders as he pumped his cock through Arthur’s fingers with surprising urgency. 

Arthur kept a hold of him, and leaned over to Merlin’s ear. “Did you shower this morning?” he whispered. 

Merlin gulped around the pen and nodded. 

Losing all sense of reason, Merlin’s knees nearly buckled as Arthur sank down and began sucking him off. In a _bloody_ courthouse. Merlin’s head swam, Arthur’s mouth a heavenly receptacle for his dick, treating it with abundant saliva and thick tongue. When Merlin also felt Arthur’s hand cradling his balls, it didn’t take long for him to climax, biting back his shout—because right now that was the most important thing in the world. 

He trembled against the door again, but for entirely different reasons this time. They had been extremely lucky that nobody had needed to take a leak at right that moment. 

Arthur wiped the corners of his mouth with his handkerchief and stood up. He took the pen out of Merlin’s mouth and ran the sides of it over Merlin’s wet cock playfully. “Fix yourself back up,” he said at last. 

Merlin pulled the trousers back up, over his bare hips, and fastened his belt. “What about you?” He reached out to cup Arthur’s groin, but was stopped when Arthur grabbed hold of his wrist. 

“When you win,” he said simply. 

Merlin jutted his chin and saw a small smirk play on Arthur’s lips. “You utter prat!” 

“Did you sign the contract?” Arthur asked. 

Without blinking, Merlin said, “Yes.” 

“Did you get the raise?” 

“Yes,” he said again, feeling some pride at the fact that he had actually survived that meeting. 

Arthur pulled Merlin’s wrist up with one hand, and took something out of his pocket with his other. He showed two cufflinks lying neatly in his palm. “Hand me your sleeves,” he said, still giving orders. 

While Merlin was very annoyed with him, he was also deeply appreciative of what Arthur was doing. Merlin watched as Arthur pinned two Pendragon cufflinks onto his sleeves. 

“Now go in there, hand my father back this pen, and remember this: it is not your _fault_ that we are sitting in this court, it is your coveted skill and expertise that have led crooks to commit theft. We are here to set things straight. You can do this.” He straightened Merlin’s tie and nodded at him. 

Merlin saw the truth in his eyes, the truth that Arthur believed they could succeed. Believed in _him._ The truth was that this had been theft and they could _prove_ it. He nodded to Arthur and looked down at the pen. “Yeah, okay.” He let out a deep sigh and nodded. 

“Let’s go,” Arthur said. 

The rest of the day turned out much better. When Merlin and Arthur returned to the courtroom, Gaius, Lance, and Gilli were sitting in the seats behind Uther and greeted the two of them quietly, ruffled Merlin’s hair and patted his back. Terrible traffic, they explained. 

Merlin was elated with their presence and support. With Arthur sitting beside him. The small piece of fabric sticking out of Arthur’s pantsuit added even more giddy delight to the situation. 

When Merlin was asked to testify, he pulled his sleeves down, felt the cufflinks, and was filled with the pride in his work, the pride in his company, and everything he had managed to achieve, like a permanent contract with a significant pay raise. He sat down in the bench, watched Uther twirl the pen between his fingers, swallowed down the beginning of a nervous chuckle, and submitted himself to the interrogation. 

  
  


* 

It took two days for the verdict to be publicly announced at Pendragon VR. The board asked all departments to show up in the cafeteria on Friday afternoon. Uther stood on the small podium to the side and addressed the room as a whole. 

Merlin was surrounded by his department on one side, and Gwen and Morgana on the other. He saw Agravaine standing right beside the podium looking extremely satisfied with himself. While that in itself was no big change from usual, today it meant that much more today. 

They had won. 

Uther spoke at length and everyone listened quietly. Valiant Corp’s code had been declared illegally obtained and Mordred Banes’ patent was to be terminated. The new patent, in Merlin Emrys’s name, would take several weeks to process, but would be for the complete code of Pendragon VR, allowing the company a solid foothold within the industry. Kara Wilde was fired, but it would still take another case to sort her situation out. 

A cheerful applause crossed the room and Merlin shook many hands, felt supportive pats on his back, and was the first to drink the champagne from the bottle that was opened. 

And yet there was that bit of unease, niggling in the back of his mind. 

Ever since the court date, Arthur hadn’t been in the office. Merlin had texted him to ask what was up, and Arthur had only told him that he would know soon. Still, he was determined to enjoy his five minutes of fame, so he stayed in the cantina, talking to those closest to him and having a good time. 

He texted Gwaine about his victory, and ten minutes later he saw the selfie of Gwaine and two bottles: Baileys and Sambucca. Gwaine was asking him when they would celebrate. He grinned uneasily at the message and pocketed his phone without answering. 

At close to five o’clock, Arthur walked in and Merlin paused mid-sip, nearly spilling champagne over his hoodie. 

“Arthur!” he called out, tipsy. “We won!” 

With a lopsided, confident smile, Arthur walked towards them all and joined their festivities. Merlin was relieved. Arthur seemed himself, perhaps more than he had been lately. He was talking in animated tones with Morgana, and later with Gaius. Merlin felt himself smile. 

It wasn’t until people began leaving that Arthur raised his hand. 

“Before you all head out, I’d like to ask for a few minutes of your attention.” He looked specifically into the direction of the development team. He ran a hand through his blond hair, watch glinting, and gathered himself. The red shirt under his grey suit looked as fine on him as it did any day. 

Merlin stood between Lance and Morgana and took a sip of champagne while Arthur began to speak. 

“You all know that Pendragon VR has its ups and downs like any company. What we accomplished is definitely a win, and Valiant Corp will eventually pay some damages. However, it is not enough to close some of the gaps you have undoubtedly heard of. Now, I’m not talking budget cuts or layoffs, but…” 

The room turned quiet. Merlin felt his heart thud thickly in his chest and his hands turns sweaty. 

Arthur looked at everyone. If he looked at Merlin a little longer than the others, no one said a word. He cleared his throat and continued. “There were certain elements inside the patented code that we were not allowed to directly embark upon, certain branches that the board of Pendragon VR has expressed interest in for some years now. That means as of next Monday I will be resigning from my position—” 

A hubbub went through the crowd as everyone began to mumble at once. Arthur lifted his hands and quieted them. Merlin felt as if an invisible hand had slapped him in the face. 

“Officially I’m not allowed to tell you any of this yet, but unofficially… this is a new venture that our Chinese partners have agreed upon. I will be setting up a new company in the following weeks. Now, a few of you know this already, because they have been asked on board, Lance and Gwen being among the new associates.” 

Merlin glared at Arthur. After _everything_ that had happened, after all that Merlin had dragged himself up to believe, now Arthur was saying that it didn’t matter? That he was leaving? And taking some of his best friends with him? 

“What’s the new company going to be about?” someone asked. 

“What does it mean for us? What will change?” another colleague demanded. 

Merlin stared angrily at his drink and felt all his joy from the victory disappear. He had needed Arthur to support him. He almost hadn’t slept for two entire nights while the judges made up their minds. And now _this!_

“Next week everything will be explained to you in detail,” Arthur said and dismissed them. He walked up to Merlin and when Merlin didn’t look up, put a hand on his shoulder. “I want to tell you the details. Come by tomorrow at eight.” 

“No,” Merlin said resolutely. If this was it, then this was it. “No more breaking the rules. We just won the case, I want to be happy.” 

Arthur simply lifted his brow, completely unimpressed, and said, “Gwaine has already got the drinks. Besides, I still have something that belongs to you.” His gaze fixed pointedly on Merlin’s groin for a moment, before innocently staring into his eyes again. 

“Fine,” Merlin grumbled. 

And just like that Arthur walked out again, waving to the others, and made his exit. He had declined the Friday drinks on account of his workload and was out of sight. 

Merlin clenched his jaw and felt completely uprooted. This wasn’t fair! He didn’t understand why, but it just wasn’t. 

  
  


* 

Arthur was just one cleaning his apartment when the doorbell rang. He had decided to wear faded jeans and a white T-shirt, nothing complicated. He opened the door to his apartment and welcomed Gwaine. 

Gwaine wore a tracksuit and a funny Jurassic Park T-shirt. He had a large weekend bag with him and put it down in the hallway carefully. 

“Hey Artie, I hear you’re starting something new? Ready to celebrate?” The exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows made Arthur groan in exasperation, and Gwaine hadn’t even taken his shoes off yet. “Just asking. Where’s Merlin?” 

“Running late, he says. We can leave the door ajar.” But Arthur wasn’t so sure Merlin would show up at all. Something inside of him clenched at the very thought. “Drinks?” 

Arthur began pouring the drinks, and paused when he felt hands on his arse, groping and squeezing. Thumbs rubbed over his hips, while fingers clenched around the curves of his buttocks below. 

“Don’t let me distract you, mate,” Gwaine said. “Go on.” 

It was significantly harder to concentrate when someone was feeling him up, as nervous as he already was, and he almost poured half the drink beside the glass. 

“Alright,” Gwaine chuckled. “Let me mix them, yeah? Christ, I’ve seen flan with more backbone.” Gwaine mixed the drinks this time and Arthur fretted, hovering over the process until Gwaine told him to get out of the kitchen. 

“Oi! This is _my_ bloody kitchen,” Arthur said with chuckle. “Have you heard from Percy yet, regarding the offer?” 

“Percy?” Gwaine piped up in a high pitch. “Yeah, he texted me that he’s up for it. Totally. I just wish I was there to see his face!” 

“I’m glad he’s on board,” Arthur said. 

“On board for what?” 

Arthur’s heart skipped a beat as he rounded on Merlin, standing in the kitchen doorway, his heavy bag slung over his shoulder. 

“Merlin!” Gwaine said lightly, handing him a drink, and planting a smooch on his cheek. “Good that you’re here! Did you bring it?” 

Merlin nodded to him and his eyes followed Gwaine as he walked on towards the living room. 

Throat feeling dry, Arthur stepped forward as well, but Merlin dodged him and followed Gwaine. Arthur paused. Perhaps all of this was one huge mistake. 

“Yeah, I brought it,” Merlin said, placing the bag next to Gwaine and settling on the couch. “So, what’s this all about then?” 

Arthur lifted his chin and stepped up to them, presenting Merlin with a folder, the Pendragon VR logo printed on the front, stamped with ‘Confidential’ across the middle. “I wanted you to learn about this before I do the official announcement on Monday. It’s about the new company we’re starting.” 

He saw Merlin’s face darken as he took the file and held it on his lap, closed. 

“Or I could just tell you.” 

Merlin lifted an eyebrow and sighed. “You don’t owe me. You can do whatever you want.” 

Gwaine had already emptied his glass and put it down on the table. “Merlin, this is time for celebration—” 

“The new company will be operating from a building down the street from the offices,” Arthur said. “It’s going to be just a small team at the start, but I want to hire more people in time. We will use Pendragon VR’s software, as well as filming equipment to create one of the concepts Gwen has been working on all along.” 

Merlin stared up at Arthur. “You mean VR porn?” 

“They’re calling it Porndragon,” Gwaine chuckled, “get it?” A tear of amusement rolled down his cheek. 

“Are you kidding me right now?” Merlin asked. 

“The Chinese investors were considering backing out after the negative media attention and lack of ‘innovation’. My father considered the risk too high to set this up within the company. And for me…” 

“And you’re just going to use my software?” Merlin asked. 

“We will be paying Pendragon VR for the use of the software, yes.” 

Merlin looked entirely confused. 

Gwaine put a hand around his shoulder and said, “Percy is going to be the first to star in it. Since it’s VR, the recording doesn’t care if he’s too tall, you can look in any direction and see which part of him you want to see. He’s very excited.” 

Merlin looked at Gwaine with difficulty. “I thought you liked this guy.” 

“Who says I don’t? But now I can watch him in porn too! And all thanks to Arthur!” 

“Keep me out of your depraved life choices, Gwaine,” Arthur said and took a swig of the powerful, intoxicating drink.  

“You’re one of my depraved life choices, you pillock,” Gwaine said with a wink. “Anyway. The way I see it is simple; the fact that we have a second date planned doesn’t mean he can’t also have a professional occupation in porn, right?” 

Merlin regarded Gwaine stoically. 

Arthur sat down on the coffee table across Merlin and took the file from his lap. “Now that the company has secured you, it is even more vital that they see new revenue streams pick up. This could really work, Merlin.” 

“ _Porn_ dragon?” he asked again. 

“That was Gwaine’s idea,” Arthur said with a small smile. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “It also means I am removed from the position of your boss.” 

“I guess so,” Merlin said and leaned against Gwaine. “Did you trick him into this?” 

Gwaine ran his fingers through Merlin’s hair soothingly and a slow smile curled around his lips. “I would love the credit for this one, I really would, but… “ 

“This is something I arranged,” Arthur said finally. 

Offering Merlin a slap on the back, Gwaine stood up and walked out of the room. “Before we begin our fun, I’m definitely not skipping the chance to abuse your wonderful bathroom.” 

“Why does everything you say sound filthy?” Merlin shot at him. 

“You see straight into my soul,” Gwaine chuckled, blew a kiss and was gone from sight.


	15. Clued In

Merlin fiddled with his drink between his hands, failing to meet Arthur’s eyes, and Arthur finished his quickly, nerves settling in. He heard the shower water running. 

“So, this talking thing… Can we still do that?” Merlin asked his drink. 

“Sure. I mean, yes,” Arthur fumbled and cursed inwardly. 

Merlin looked up at him through his lashes and licked his lips. Arthur saw that he was struggling to speak, trying to find the words. He sat back on the coffee table and waited. 

Clearing his throat, Merlin spoke at last. “So, I uh… Back at Gwaine’s place. When I topped. Are you still angry at me for that?” 

Arthur shrugged and popped a muscle in his back. “Look, it’s not that I was angry. I’m not, to be clear. I had… I had a bad experience. I thought I was ready, but… the bloke was an arse. It hurt, not just physically.” He didn’t look at Merlin while he talked, studying his hands instead, picking at a loose skin by his fingernail. “When I met Gwaine, he took it really slow. Still not a craving though.” He looked up and found Merlin equally studying his nervous hands, still fiddling with that bit of skin that always promised to be a bad idea. 

Merlin swallowed. “I thought you didn’t think I’d be capable, or good enough.”

“I never told anyone.” He picked the piece of skin off and regretted it instantly. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “What about you? I broke the rules just before I left to China. Are you angry with me for that?” 

Merlin shook his head minutely and suppressed a smile. “No. I only thought… that it marked the end of this.” The sound of the shower abruptly ended and Gwaine’s whistle echoed through the hall. 

“Are you kidding?” Arthur said and stood up. “Did you forget my promise? When you won I’d have my turn.” 

“Of course I didn’t forget,” Merlin shot back and stood up as well. “Besides, you’ve still got my briefs!” His open smile was back and he looked like all worries of the day were gone. 

“Oh, you’re going to have to work for those,” Arthur quipped and without further ado cupped Merlin’s cheek, leaning in and feeling a thrilling heat pass through him the moment Merlin received the kiss, welcoming, arms wrapping around his sides and pulling him close. 

Their bodies were flush, and Arthur’s hand slipped into Merlin’s hair, holding him in place as he tilted his head and kissed him again. Merlin’s eyes were closed and his hands were making fists in Arthur’s T-shirt, as they sensually played with each other’s tongues, taking their time to appreciate the feel of each other’s lips, entirely free from the shackles of time and space. 

When they broke apart, Arthur was out of breath, his lips wet and swollen, and his mind stuck in a haze. Merlin was worse off than he was, holding his tongue between his teeth and gently grinding against him with hips. 

Suddenly, Arthur looked up and across the room. “Where is Gwaine?” He should have been able to dry himself off by now. 

Merlin blinked and seemed to focus his thoughts again. “He took my bag. He’s probably playing with the fleshlight somewhere. Dirty bastard!” Merlin called out. 

There was no reply. 

“Oi,” Arthur called out. He let go of Merlin and went to check the bathroom, which was empty. “There’s no wet towel,” Arthur remarked. 

Merlin stood behind him and frowned curiously. “Kitchen’s empty too.” 

They gave each other an odd look and both turned towards the bedroom door which was closed. 

When they opened the door, they were greeted by candle light. Small tea lights were spread across the room and cast a warm glow. The four-poster bed stood with the curtains drawn and the light from inside was on. 

“Ah, so that’s where you’re hiding!” Merlin said and stepped forward. 

Still no reply. 

Arthur closed the door behind him and followed Merlin curiously towards the bed. “Gwaine, are you in there?” He was expecting some form of reply, and it felt uncharacteristic for Gwaine not to answer. 

Merlin stood outside the drawn curtains around the bed and, after Arthur nodded, opened them. 

The bed was empty. That was to say, there was no Gwaine molesting Merlin’s fleshlight. What they did find was a breakfast tray with a large bouquet of roses, a cheesy heart-shaped box full of chocolates and a greeting card, standing upright, with more tacky hearts on them. 

Arthur’s heart skipped a beat at what Gwaine meant with that. What had he been planning?

Merlin picked up the card and held it open. It read,

_In case you two dopes haven’t figured it out yet._

_You don’t need me for this._

_Make it work!_

_G_

Merlin stared at the card silently with a frown on his face. 

Arthur wondered who had opened the tap under his armpits, and who had decided to destabilise the room just then. He planted his feet and wiped his hands on his trousers, heart in his throat. What was Gwaine playing at? “What an idiot! Right?” he offered, trying to present a smile. He was certain that it came across as convincingly as a kid caught with his hand still stuck in the cookie jar. 

Merlin was still looking at the card, his lips pressed together and turned slowly to look at him. “Is this…?” His voice faltered. He waved the card to Arthur and made another shaky attempt. “This is why you are leaving the company? Why you did… all those things. The contract? The courthouse?” 

A wave of guilt washed over him as he looked at the card stupidly. Words couldn’t form in his head. All that occupied his mind was a numbing fear that Merlin would leave all of this behind. When Arthur didn’t speak, it seemed an answer enough. Casual had long been cast aside. Perhaps it had never even been. 

Merlin gaped at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

Arthur willed the thick whooshing sound of blood pumping through his ears to quiet down so that he could think straight. Or, not that straight, but at least normally. “It wasn’t what you wanted.” 

Pressing the card flat against his chest, Merlin said, “And now you’re leaving the company because of me? I can’t let that happen.” 

“Not because of you, Merlin. For you.” And _damn_ if it didn’t feel good to say it. A giddy happiness shook him back to the present when he dared to admit it. Even if it meant that everything, _everything_ was at risk. 

Merlin deflated and threw the card onto the bed. In the candlelight Arthur saw that his eyes were wet. “I can’t let you do that. No one’s ever done anything like that for me.” 

Arthur couldn’t stand it. He pulled Merlin against him, wrapped his arms around Merlin’s shoulders and held him. “I would move mountains for you,” he whispered, cursing himself for the cheesiness. 

Merlin chuckled at him and held on. He wasn’t letting go. 

Arthur took his chance and buried his face into Merlin’s neck, pulled him closer, taking in his scent and hoped he would never have to let go. He felt Merlin’s arms wrap more tightly around him and a long breath exhaled over his shoulder. 

After what seemed like forever, Arthur pulled back, looked Merlin straight in the eyes and said, “Merlin, would you like to go on a date with me?” 

Merlin’s goofy grin split across his face and he lunged forward to kiss Arthur, sealing his mouth and conveying what he could not say with words.  

Arthur drank in his ‘yes’, and felt engulfed with passion, as if it was the first kiss they ever shared and he had been starved for it for weeks. Perhaps this kiss was their first real kiss. It was different, allowed for more than just touches, and Arthur gave it everything he had, and then a bit more. 

  
  


* 

Meanwhile, on the tube home, Gwaine received two texts simultaneously. One said _you arsehole!_ and the other said _fuck you :P._ Gwaine grinned and pocketed his phone. His job was done. 

He patted Merlin’s backpack beside him and texted him back that he promised to return it soon. Just not too soon. 


	16. Epilogue

Merlin woke up feeling a heavy arm around his waist. They lay together for some time, Arthur slowly grabbing hold of Merlin and molding their bodies until they fit together perfectly. It was early morning on Wednesday two weeks later and Merlin had only gone home for a change of clothes. 

Slightly arching his back, he offered Arthur something to ride against, and felt the other’s cock stirring to life, poking its way between his legs soon enough. If their previous weekends had been exhausting, they were currently stuck on a sexual marathon that extended all hours outside of work, and scarce but, by now, much needed sleep. 

Their sex had been hard and passionate at first, Arthur living out his fiercely possessive feelings, until the times after that became more intimate, soft, and loving. It was unlike anything Merlin had ever experienced. 

“Want to?” 

“Mmm,” Arthur said and shoved a bit harder with his hips. 

A flutter passed through Merlin’s belly as he reached for the lube and a condom. He pushed Arthur flat onto the bed and covered his body with his own, sliding perfectly along the other’s figure with lethargic, sleepy limbs. 

Arthur tried to open his eyes, but was still too sleepy. His heavy, lazy arms held onto Merlin’s body and he thrust his hips upwards, wanting more. Always wanting more. Merlin loved it. There was no stopping Arthur. How they hadn’t figured this out earlier, Merlin didn’t know, but they’d wasted weeks only getting together on Saturdays. 

Merlin took the lube and spent some time preparing himself on his fingers. This time Arthur’s eyes opened and he regarded Merlin’s handiwork with perverted fascination. 

“Well? Go on, then,” Merlin said. 

Arthur opened the condom and quickly put it on, while Merlin made his life hard by biting into a nipple and drawing a hiss from him. “Ride me,” Arthur said, “I want to see you get off.” 

“You’re just lazy,” Merlin complained, letting go of the nipple. He took a hold of Arthur’s hard cock and settled himself over it. He took it slow, taking care, and looked Arthur straight in the eye. He pushed himself completely down and stared in awe at the man below him, the man who loved him. 

They hadn’t seen Arthur at Pendragon VR anymore except for a single presentation in which Arthur explained the cautious legal separation of the mother company and Porndragon, to ensure safety and also ensure people’s individual careers would not be affected by this. It was always going to be a sensitive topic. 

Merlin’s skin felt sensitive too, when Arthur’s hands began groping his thighs and holding onto his hips for more thrust. 

“Nu-uh,” Merlin said and stopped moving. “You said you wanted to watch me. So, no touching.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes, his sleep-tousled hair all mussed, and lifted his hands to hold onto the headboard, flipping the light switch so they could better see what they were doing. “Alright then, cowboy,” Arthur said, “show me what you got.”  

Merlin chuckled and leaned forward to kiss him. “Maybe we should get your collar then?” 

“Later,” Arthur said and bucked his hips greedily. “Less talking, more riding.” 

Merlin settled himself down on Arthur’s length again and again, slowly going faster and faster until he paused and began the slow rhythm again, drawing sighs and moans from Arthur that thrilled him to no end, pre-cum already leaking on Arthur’s abdomen from his untouched dick. 

“God, I love this, I love you,” Arthur murmured. 

If Merlin was honest with himself, it was one of the reasons he enjoyed coaxing Arthur to sex in the mornings. Unguarded and sleepy, Arthur would tell him these things much more often than at night, after a long day of work, when he was just horny and ready to fire. Arthur hadn’t even been to the gym in a week. 

Merlin sped up again and Arthur threw his head back, nearly letting go of the headboard. When Merlin paused, Arthur gave him a dark, predatory look and let go completely. 

“Oi,” Merlin said, but it made no difference, not when Arthur got like this. 

Merlin was pushed back and turned around, hands pulled behind his back and held between the fingers of Arthur’s strong hand, while the other groped at his rear. Merlin lifted his hips awkwardly, straining his hands to give a bit of resistance, before he felt Arthur take him, hard and rough. Merlin bit into the sheets to muffle his moans. 

Even if Arthur wasn’t his boss anymore, giving in to him still filled him with ecstatic joy. He wasn’t just the boss, he was the CEO. And he took his work seriously, like Merlin knew he always did. 

“God, yes, more,” Merlin begged and bit the sheets. 

In general, they had become more articulate. Arthur had talked about his past, about what he wanted, and how he saw a relationship in his view. Merlin had admitted taking his cues from Gwaine and never looking beyond anything casual. One late evening, he had collapsed against Arthur’s shoulder, admitting he didn’t know how to be loved. 

Arthur had held him and said it was okay, it was his job. 

And Arthur always took his job seriously. 

“Ahh, yes, yes,” Merlin cooed, feeling Arthur speed up, his hips forcefully slamming against his arse again and again, balls slapping deliciously forward each time. 

“Ahh, _Merlin!_ ” Arthur cried out his release, hips stuttering. 

Arthur let his arms go and massaged his bum before pulling back, falling into the sheets, fighting the need to sleep some more. They had perhaps ten more minutes before the alarm would go off. 

Merlin climbed over Arthur and helped him take the condom off. “I want you,” he said. “All of you.” 

“You have me,” Arthur said and yawned. 

“No, I mean—”

“It’s alright, Merlin.” Arthur was giving him the softest, most loving look, and nodded at him. 

Merlin licked his lips and didn’t need to be told twice. He set himself to preparing Arthur, always taking care to be extra gentle. And Arthur spread his legs for him, allowing Merlin all access, always offering everything he had. 

The surprise had been great, during the opening party of Porndragon, when Arthur had gathered everyone around; Lance, Gwen, Merlin, Leon, and Morgana, and announced to everyone that he was gay. Morgana seemed least surprised of all. He made no special references to Merlin, but it was Gwen who caught on. 

“I knew it! Ever since the Xbox thing. There was never a friend, was there?” She had nudged Merlin in the side, and offered him a supportive smile. 

Merlin had chuckled nervously and finished his drink in five large gulps in order to still his nerves at her conclusion. 

At the end of the party, Arthur had thrown an arm around Merlin’s shoulder, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. To a drunk, satisfied Arthur, surrounded by his friends, it was perhaps something normal. 

Arthur squirmed on the bed, and Merlin focused on his task at hand. He put on a condom and settled himself between Arthur’s glorious thighs, spread kisses over his chest and enjoyed the warm hands that swept over his shoulders and arms. 

He tilted his hips and pushed himself inside, gasping at the welcoming heat that enveloped his cock, and at the way Arthur’s body writhed beneath him, getting himself accustomed at the penetration. Merlin remained gentle, each move slow, the perfect lover for him, so fucking perfect for him. 

The first day of filming, they had seen Gwaine on set. He’d taken the afternoon off to support Percy’s debut on film. It hadn’t come to actual filming, but they had decided a lot about the first project and done a test-run. That was, Arthur had found Gwaine and Percy making out on the set and had scolded them. Merlin had laughed at Arthur and told the other two that the only reason they hadn’t had a go at the set first was because they had had tickets for the cinema—which had also been used to maximum potential. 

Gwaine had laughed heartily. He had taken Merlin aside a while later and asked him if all was well. Merlin had grinned like an idiot and admitted that he’d never expected it to turn out this well. Gwaine had slapped him on the back and suggested a foursome. 

Arthur had been on the fence about it, but Merlin had a feeling that it wouldn’t last long. Merlin still had his bucket list, and Arthur’s own list was getting _longer_ instead of shorter. 

Merlin kissed Arthur’s neck, his hips stuck in a blissful motion of in-out-in-out. He felt entirely trusted, loved, and wanted, when Arthur moaned his name, eyes closed and stuck in a vague post-orgasmic bliss. Merlin held himself in check, never speeding up. All the way he remained slow, even when he felt the buildup. He couldn’t shout, not this early, not now. So he moaned and howled, trying to hold back, even while everything was perfect. He forced himself to only accelerate minimally, pushing deep, deeper, deeper still, until pleasure enveloped him and washed away his senses for a sharp, blissful moment. 

Merlin collapsed onto him bonelessly and felt his own heartbeat thudding against Arthur’s solid chest. 

“You’re mine, Merlin, all one-hundred-and-ten per cent.” Arthur’s arms held him close. 

“What’s the ten per cent for?” Merlin murmured, slipping out of him gently and burying his head against the crook of Arthur’s neck and closed his eyes. 

“When you get all hot for me, the sounds you make. They are all for me, understand?” 

He licked his lips. “Yes,” he whispered. “All for you. Everything for you.” 

“Good,” Arthur said. “Then I don’t have to cancel the order of ropes.” 

Merlin opened one eye and held his breath. Had he heard that right. “You didn’t!” 

Behind Arthur, the alarm clock went off. Arthur slapped it with a heavy hand. 

“You just want to tie me up and lock me in here forever,” Merlin said with a teasing grin. Then he caught Arthur’s cheeky expression and sat up. He knew that look. 

“Well,” Arthur grinned, and sat up as well. 

Merlin hastily got up from the bed, but not quickly enough, as Arthur grabbed one of his ankles. “No!” He barked out a laugh as Arthur drew him back and began alternately tickling him and smothering him with kisses, until they were hot and needy again, and up for another round before work. 

They were both late. 

  
  
The End <3

**Author's Note:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed this crazy idea. It began as a cooperative project together with Sparrowfart/Scramjets in Chatzy and eventually took its own life. The core concepts was returning threesomes where Gwaine is essentially the lube in Merlin and Arthur's budding relationship. And the boys end up doing everything backwards.


End file.
